Women Diplomats

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Throughout history, there have been many women diplomats who have made significant contribution to the field. The list includes many familiar and great female diplomats such as Caroline Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, Condoleezza Rice, Valerie Jarrett, Madeleine Albright.The women diplomats featured in this list are from United States, United Kingdom, Canada & India and many more countries.
Vote for Your Favourite Women Diplomats
 1 
Shirley Temple
(Actress, 27th United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia)
Shirley Temple
8
Birthdate: April 23, 1928
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, United States
Died: February 10, 2014

After starting her film career at the age of three, Shirley Temple went on to become Hollywood's highest-grossing child actress from 1935 to 1938. She is the epitome of popular child stars who lose their charm as they grow up. Despite failing as an adult actress, she is ranked 18th in the greatest female screen legends of Classic Hollywood list.

 2 
Eleanor Roosevelt
(Longest-Serving First Lady of The United States)
Eleanor Roosevelt
6
Birthdate: October 11, 1884
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: November 7, 1962

Feminist and civil rights icon Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was the longest-serving U.S First Lady. She was a prominent human rights activist, wrote columns, and hosted a radio show. She was named to Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century in 1999.

 3 
Madeleine Albright
(64th United States Secretary of State (1997 - 2001))
Madeleine Albright
5
Birthdate: May 15, 1937
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Smíchov, Prague, Czechia
Died: March 23, 2022
Madeleine Albright served as the U.S. Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001, under Bill Clinton, and was the first woman to hold the post. The Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee also chaired the Albright Stonebridge Group and taught at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.
 4 
Nikki Haley
(The First Female Governor of South Carolina)
Nikki Haley
4
Birthdate: January 20, 1972
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bamberg, South Carolina, United States

Born to Indian immigrant parents, Nikki Haley went on to become the first Indian-American to hold an office in South Carolina and later became its governor—the first woman and second Indian American to be appointed governor in the US. A published author, she has also served as the US ambassador to the United Nations.

 5 
Condoleezza Rice
(66th United States Secretary of State (2005-09))
Condoleezza Rice
4
Birthdate: November 14, 1954
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama, United States

The 66th United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made history in 2005 when she became the first female black Secretary of State. She is also the first female to serve as National Security Advisor, a position which she served from 2001 to 2005. One of the most powerful women in the world at one point of time, she has been depicted in Hollywood films.

 6 
Gertrude Bell
(Writer, Diplomat)
Gertrude Bell
5
Birthdate: July 14, 1868
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Washington, United Kingdom
Died: July 12, 1926

Born into a wealthy English family, Gertrude Bell was an explorer at heart and went down in history for her journeys across the Middle East and for helping establish the Hāshimite dynasty in Iraq. Though she graduated in history from Oxford, being a woman, she wasn’t awarded a degree.

 7 
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
(Nigerian-American Economist Who Has Served in Several Ministerial Positions in Nigeria)
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
4
Birthdate: June 13, 1954
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Ogwashi Ukwu, Nigeria
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a Nigerian-American economist and political figure. She served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2006 before serving as the Coordinating Minister for the Economy of Nigeria from 17 August 2011 to 29 May 2015. Ngozi also served as the Minister of Finance on two separate occasions; from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2015.
 8 
Caroline Kennedy
0
Birthdate: November 27, 1957
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Cornell Medical Center Hospital, New York City, New York, U.S.

Caroline Kennedy is an American author, diplomat, and attorney. The only surviving child of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Caroline served as the US Ambassador to Japan between 2013 and 2017. A prolific author who writes about civil liberties, Caroline Kennedy has also served as a spokesperson for the Kennedy family's legacy.

 9 
Pamela Harriman
(58th United States Ambassador to France)
Pamela Harriman
4
Birthdate: March 20, 1920
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Farnborough, Hampshire, England
Died: February 5, 1997

Apart from serving as the US ambassador to France and as a Democratic political activist, Pamela Harriman had also been in the news for her three marriages, all to high-profile men, namely, Randolph Churchill, Leland Hayward, and W. Averell Harriman. She also had countless affairs with rich and influential men.

 10 
Susan Rice
(23rd U.S. National Security Advisor ( 2013 – 2017))
Susan Rice
5
Birthdate: November 17, 1964
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Susan Rice has been the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and the national security advisor. She was chosen by Joe Biden as the director of the Domestic Policy Council. Rice was supposed to become the secretary of state, replacing Hillary Clinton in 2013, but withdrew due to the Benghazi attack.
 11 
Julie Bishop
(Jurist, Politician, Diplomat, Lawyer)
Julie Bishop
4
Birthdate: July 17, 1956
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Lobethal

Julie Bishop is an Australian former politician who once served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. For several years, she was the deputy leader of the Liberal Party. She studied law at the University of Adelaide and worked as a commercial lawyer before venturing into politics. In 2020, she became the first woman chancellor of the Australian National University.  

 12 
Samantha Power
(19th Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development)
Samantha Power
4
Birthdate: September 21, 1970
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dungarvan, County Waterford, Ireland

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and academic Samantha Power has previously served as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. She was a war correspondent before she became a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. She worked on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and infamously called Hillary Clinton "a monster.”

 13 
Kay Bailey Hutchison
(Politician)
Kay Bailey Hutchison
4
Birthdate: July 22, 1943
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Galveston, Texas, USA
 14 
Bajrakitiyabha
(Diplomat)
Bajrakitiyabha
4
Birthdate: December 7, 1978
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, Bangkok, Thailand
 15 
Clare Boothe Luce
(Author, Politician)
Clare Boothe Luce
3
Birthdate: March 10, 1903
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: October 9, 1987
 16 
Valerie Jarrett
4
Birthdate: November 14, 1956
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Shiraz
Valerie Jarrett served as the senior advisor to former president Barack Obama and the director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs from 2009 to 2017. She had previously served Mayor Richard Daley as his deputy chief of staff and had hired Michelle Obama, then-fiancée of Obama.
 17 
Maria Zakharova
(Russian Politician and Head of Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry's Information and Press Department)
Maria Zakharova
3
Birthdate: December 24, 1975
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Currently the director of the Information and Press department of Russia’s Foreign Affairs ministry, Maria Zakharova is from a family of diplomats. Putin’s top aide is also known for her sarcastic comments on sensitive issues on various talk shows and for her seductive selfies and trademark red lipstick.

 18 
Patsy Takemoto Mink
(Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii (1990 - 2002))
Patsy Takemoto Mink
3
Birthdate: December 6, 1927
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Paia, Hawaii, United States
Died: September 28, 2002

Born to Japanese immigrants in Hawaii, lawyer and Democratic Party member Patsy Takemoto Mink became the first Asian-American woman and the second Hawaiian woman to be part of the U.S. Congress. She has fought for women’s and civil rights and has opposed the American participation in the Vietnam War.

 19 
Deborah Birx
(Physician)
Deborah Birx
4
Birthdate: April 4, 1956
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States

Doctor and diplomat Deborah Birx was the Trump administration’s coronavirus response co-ordinator. The renowned HIV/AIDS researcher, however, quit the virus team after reports suggested she had attended a Thanksgiving family gathering, breaching COVID-19 protocol. She later joined the air-cleaning company ActivePure, amid reports of it using banned technology.

 20 
Zindzi Mandela
(Diplomat)
Zindzi Mandela
3
Birthdate: December 23, 1960
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa
Died: July 13, 2020

Zindzi Mandela was a South African poet and diplomat best known as the daughter of the famous anti-apartheid activist, Nelson Mandela. From 1996 to 1998, she also served as a temporary First Lady of South Africa. Over the years, she has been portrayed in films and TV films, such as Mrs Mandela (2009), Invictus (2009), and Mandela (1987).

 21 
Jean Kennedy Smith
(United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1993 to 1998)
Jean Kennedy Smith
4
Birthdate: February 20, 1928
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: June 17, 2020
 22 
Jeane Kirkpatrick
(Politician, Diplomat, University teacher)
Jeane Kirkpatrick
3
Birthdate: November 19, 1926
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Duncan
Died: December 7, 2006
 23 
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
(Diplomat)
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
4
Birthdate: August 18, 1900
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Prayagraj,India
Died: December 1, 1990
 24 
Christiana Figueres
(Diplomat)
Christiana Figueres
4
Birthdate: August 7, 1956
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: San José, Costa Rica
 25 
Ashraf Pahlavi
(Writer, Diplomat, Politician)
Ashraf Pahlavi
3
Birthdate: October 26, 1919
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Tehran
Died: January 7, 2016
 26 
Kelly Craft
(Businessperson, Politician)
Kelly Craft
0
Birthdate: February 24, 1962
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Lexington, Kentucky, United States
 27 
Evan Ryan
(Diplomat)
Evan Ryan
0
Birthdate: March 6, 1971
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Alexandria, Virginia, United States
 28 
Hina Rabbani Khar
(Diplomat, Politician, Entrepreneur, Economist)
Hina Rabbani Khar
4
Birthdate: November 19, 1977
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Multan

Hina Rabbani Khar is a Pakistani politician who became the first woman and the youngest person to serve as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan; she was in the office from 2011 to 2013. Prior to serving as the Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar also became the first female politician to present the national budget in 2009 while serving as the Minister of Finance of Pakistan.   

 29 
Ayesha Gaddafi
(Diplomat, Lawyer)
Ayesha Gaddafi
4
Birthdate: December 25, 1976
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Tripoli, Libya
 30 
Alexandra Kollontai
(Russian Revolutionary and Diplomat & First Woman in History to Become an Official Member of a Governing Cabinet)
Alexandra Kollontai
3
Birthdate: March 31, 1872
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: March 9, 1952

Alexandra Kollontai was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and diplomat. She served as the People's Commissar for Welfare in Lenin’s government. A powerful figure, she became the first woman in history to become an official member of a governing cabinet. She was also one of the few women to play a prominent role during the Russian Revolution. 

 31 
Sigrid Kaag
(Politician, Diplomat)
Sigrid Kaag
3
Birthdate: November 2, 1961
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Rijswijk, Netherlands

Though a pianist’s daughter, Sigrid Kaag grew up studying Middle East studies and international relations. Initially a Dutch diplomat to places such as Beirut and Vienna, she later worked for the UN and then joined Democrats 66. She now leads her country as its First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.

 32 
Salome Zourabichvili
(President)
Salome Zourabichvili
3
Birthdate: March 18, 1952
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paris, France
 33 
Zenani Mandela
Zenani Mandela
4
Birthdate: February 4, 1959
Sun Sign: Aquarius
 34 
Gro Harlem Brundtland
(Norway's 29th Prime Minister)
Gro Harlem Brundtland
3
Birthdate: April 20, 1939
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Bærum, Norway

Norway’s 29th prime minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland was also the country’s first female prime minister and had served 3 terms. A trained physician and a public health expert, she also headed the World Health Organization as its 5th director-general. She has been Norway’s minister of the environment and has headed the Labor Party, too.

 35 
Tzipi Livni
(Politician, Lawyer, Diplomat, Manager)
Tzipi Livni
3
Birthdate: July 8, 1958
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tel Aviv
 36 
Rosario Castellanos
(Poet, Diplomat, Writer, Screenwriter, University teacher)
Rosario Castellanos
3
Birthdate: May 25, 1925
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Mexico City
Died: August 7, 1974

Mexican poet and author Rosario Castellanos was one of the most prominent literary voices of Mexico and perhaps the most significant Mexican woman writer of the last century. Her literary work on cultural and gender oppression has greatly influenced Mexican feminist theory and cultural studies. Her notable works include her master’s thesis, Sobre cultura femenina and the poem Valium 10.

 37 
Valentina Matviyenko
(Russian Politician and the First Female Leader of Saint Petersburg)
Valentina Matviyenko
3
Birthdate: April 7, 1949
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Shepetivka, Ukraine

Also known as Vladimir Putin’s right-hand woman, Russian politician Valentina Matviyenko has been the governor and the first female leader of Saint Petersburg. She was also an ambassador to Greece and Malta, and now chairs the Federation Council. Though Ukrainian by birth, she supported Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

 38 
Gulnara Karimova
(Uzbekistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva)
Gulnara Karimova
0
Birthdate: July 8, 1972
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Fergana, Uzbekistan
 39 
Sandra Mason
(1st President of Barbados, Lawyer, and diplomat)
Sandra Mason
0
Birthdate: January 17, 1949
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Saint Philip, Barbados
 40 
Tzipi Hotovely
(Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom Since 2020)
Tzipi Hotovely
3
Birthdate: December 2, 1978
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Rehovot, Israel
 41 
Louise Arbour
(Judge, Lawyer, Diplomat, University teacher)
Louise Arbour
4
Birthdate: February 10, 1947
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Montreal

Louise Arbour is a Canadian lawyer, jurist, and prosecutor. She made history when she indicted Slobodan Milošević for war crimes; Milošević became the first sitting head of state to be summoned before an international court. Arbour's attempt to indict Bosnian Serb war criminals inspired a 2005 TV film titled Hunt for Justice, where Louise Arbour was played by Wendy Crewson.

 42 
Jennifer Hosten
(Diplomat, Author)
Jennifer Hosten
0
Birthdate: October 31, 1947
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Saint George's, Grenada
 43 
Monica Juma
(Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum of Kenya)
Monica Juma
3
Birthdate: 1964 AD
Birthplace: Kenya
Monica Juma is a Kenyan diplomat and the current Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum in Kenya. An important political leader, Juma served as the Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2018. She also served as the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2020 and then as the Cabinet Secretary for Defence from 2020 to 2021.
 44 
Retno Marsudi
(Indonesia's First Female Foreign Minister)
Retno Marsudi
3
Birthdate: November 27, 1962
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Semarang, Indonesia

The first woman to become Indonesia’s foreign minister, Retno Marsudi has previously also served as the Indonesian ambassador to the Netherlands, Norway, and Iceland. She has also been Indonesia’s Director General for America and Europe and has won honors such as the Star of the Republic of Indonesia.

 45 
Khin Kyi
(Burmese Diplomat and Politician)
Khin Kyi
3
Birthdate: April 16, 1912
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Myaungmya, Burma
Died: December 27, 1988

Khin Kyi was a Burmese diplomat and politician. She is best remembered for her marriage to Aung San, a prominent politician, revolutionary, and independence activist. Khin Kyi is also remembered for her service as the Minister of Social Welfare from 1953 to 1960. She also served as the Burmese Ambassador to India from 1960 to 1967.

 46 
Natasha Stott Despoja
(The Youngest Woman to Sit in the Parliament of Australia and the Longest Serving Australian Democrats Senator)
Natasha Stott Despoja
3
Birthdate: September 9, 1969
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Adelaide, Australia

Natasha Stott Despoja is an Australian politician, diplomat, and author. She began her career as a political advisor and was soon appointed to the senate. She has held several political positions. She is a member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the founding Chair of the Board of Our Watch. 

 47 
Roza Otunbayeva
(3rd President of Kyrgyzstan)
Roza Otunbayeva
3
Birthdate: August 23, 1950
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
 48 
Perle Mesta
(Socialite)
Perle Mesta
3
Birthdate: October 12, 1889
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Sturgis, Michigan, United States
Died: March 16, 1975
 49 
Sandra Roelofs
(Former First Lady)
Sandra Roelofs
2
Birthdate: December 23, 1968
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Terneuzen, Netherlands
 50 
Winnie Byanyima
(Engineer, Politician)
Winnie Byanyima
0
Birthdate: January 13, 1959
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Mbarara, Uganda