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Peace Dove pin, designer Cecile et Jeanne, France; photographer John Bigelow Taylor.
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Symbols of Service

Secretary of State Diamond Eagle Pin

Pins Shown

  • Title Secretary of State Diamond Eagle

    Date circa 1890

    Designer Unknown, France

    Materials 18kt Yellow Gold, Silver, Diamonds, Rubies, Drop Natural Saltwater Pearl

    Size 3.5" x 1.1"
    (8.9cm x 2.8cm)

Swearing-In As Secretary of State, 1997

On December 5, 1996, President Clinton nominated Madeleine Albright to serve as the country’s sixty-fourth Secretary of State. She was sworn in on January 23, 1997. In honor of the occasion, she acquired this antique eagle pin. To her subsequent dismay, she failed to notice that the complicated clasp was not fastened properly. At the rehearsal just outside the Oval Office, the pin was attached, but during the formal ceremony, the eagle was barely hanging on.

Secretary Albright's swearing-in with President Clinton and Vice President Gore on January 23, 1997
Photo: Swearing-in on January 23, 1997 | Photo Credit: Courtesy of William J. Clinton Presidential Library/Ralph Alswang

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