Albright was the first female to serve in the role, after being appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

She was born to a Czechoslovakian Jewish family who moved to the US in 1948 and became well-known for her comical turn of phrase.

During her Australian tour in 1998, Australasia Centre of the Asia Society at the Sydney Opera House, Albright was quoted as having said:

"I have never been to Australia before but I am having a wonderful visit already and looking forward to my return for AUSMINs in the Olympic year.

"It was very clever of us to plan to have it here that year, and the reason I'm here this year is to make sure that I get tickets."

During the same tour, she described herself as being , "no Chicken Little", when it came to the risks of climate change.

Between 1997 and 2001, while serving in her diplomatic role, Albright visited 101 countries. Some she attended several times. She visited France 15 times in just four years.

During her tenure, Australian and US economic interests strengthened, as both stabilised the Asia-Pacific following the Asian Financial Crisis.

She also furthered Australia-US defence relations establishing an Australia-US Defence Acquisition Committee to coordinate operations and signing a 10-year extension of the treaty governing the Joint Defence Facility at the Pine Gap facility in the Northern Territory.

"As friends and allies, the United States and Australia work together to resolve amicably the differences that arise in our own relationship. And we cooperate in regional efforts to build security, prosperity and peace," she said.

Her Australian counterpart at the time, former foreign minister Alexander Downer tweeted he was "Very sad to hear of the death of Madeleine Albright. She was a great friend for many years. She was a great champion of human rights around the world."

She is most known for her involvement in the Kosovo Conflict in 1999, urging NATO to bomb Yugoslavia to pressure Yugoslav and Serbian forces to stop the ethnic cleansing of Albanian Muslims in Kosovo.

She held the role until 2001.

After retiring from her diplomatic role, Albright featured several times in notable television shows, guest appearing in episodes of both Gilmore Girls and Parks and Recreation.