The first woman to serve as the Secretary of State in the history of the US Madeleine Albright is dead.

According to her daughter Anne Korbel, Madelene lost her battle to cancer on Wednesday in Washington.

Madeleine served as the US representative to the UN and 64th United States Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton.

Madeleine, born Marie Jana Korbelova, was a native of Prague who came to the United States as a refugee in 1948.

She rose to the heights of American policy-making, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, the nation’s highest civilian honour.

Madeleine will be remembered as a champion of democracy and Human Rights.