Claudia Fritsche (born 26 July 1952) is a former Liechtenstein diplomat who was Liechtenstein's first ambassador to the

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, the

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, and Liechtenstein's first female ambassador.

Early life

Claudia Fritsche was born on 26 July 1952. In 1970, she met Manfred at a dance in Liechtenstein and later married in 1980. From 1970 to 1974, she served as Prime Minister

Alfred Hilbe Alfred J. Hilbe (22 July 1928 – 31 October 2011) was a political figure from Liechtenstein. Hilbe was the Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1965 to 1970, and the Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974. In February 1983, she became the Second Deputy of the Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the Council of Europe. In 1987, she worked at the Liechtenstein embassy in Bern, Switzerland and later worked at the embassy in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

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in 1988. From 1987 to 1990, she served as the chairwoman of the Liechtenstein National Committee on Equality between Women and Men while representing the country on the European Committee on Equality between Women and Men. In September 1990, Prince

Hans-Adam II Hans-Adam II (Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius; born 14 February 1945) is the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, since 1989. He is the son of Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife, Countess Georgina von Wilczek. He a ...

appointed her to serve as the Liechtenstein ambassador to the United Nations and remained in the position until September 2002. From 1999 to 2002, she served as the president of the International Association of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations.

United States

In September 2000, she was appointed by Hans-Adam II to serve as the first Liechtenstein ambassador to the United States and presented her credentials to President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

on 9 December 2000. In May 2016,

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gave her an honorary degree in

Doctor of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

and was given the Commander's Cross of the Princely Liechtenstein Order of Merit by Hans-Adam II in September. In August, she retired and was replaced by Kurt Jaeger. At the time of her retirement she was one of the longest serving ambassadors in Washington, D.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fritsche, Claudia 1952 births Ambassadors of Liechtenstein to the United States Liechtenstein women diplomats Living people Permanent Representatives of Liechtenstein to the United Nations Women ambassadors