Former Vice President Walter Mondale Dead at 93

Late Monday night, former President Jimmy Carter, 96, released a statement lauding the man Mondale was.

He wrote, “Today I mourn the passing of my dear friend Walter Mondale, who I consider the best vice president in our country’s history.

“During our administration, Fritz used his political skill and personal integrity to transform the vice presidency into a dynamic, policy-driven force that had never been seen before and still exists today,” Carter said of his former vice president.

“He was an invaluable partner and an able servant of the people of Minnesota, the United States, and the world. Fritz Mondale provided us all with a model for public service and private behavior,” he added, before offering his “deepest condolences” to Mondale’s family.

Carter, 96, is the oldest of the six living U.S. presidents.

Former President Barack Obama also spoke to Mondale’s time as a servant leader, pointing to his championing for “progressive causes.”

“Walter Mondale championed progressive causes and changed the role of VP—so leaders like [Joe Biden] could be the last ones in the room when decisions were made,” he wrote. “In selecting Geraldine Ferraro, he also paved the way for [Vice President Kamala Harris] to make history. Michelle and I send prayers to his family.”

Walter Mondale championed progressive causes and changed the role of VP—so leaders like @JoeBiden could be the last ones in the room when decisions were made. In selecting Geraldine Ferraro, he also paved the way for @VP to make history. Michelle and I send prayers to his family.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 20, 2021

Not only did Mondale serve as the Vice President of the United States in the late 70s and early 80s, but in 1984 Mondale decided to run for President. In a history-making move, Mondale selected Representative Geraldine Ferraro to be his Vice-Presidential candidate. According to Rolling Stone, Ferraro was the first woman to ever appear on a major party ticket in a presidential election.

Mondale was born in Minnesota in 1928. His father was a politically inclined farmer and Methodist minister, and his month was a piano teacher. In 1951, Mondale graduated from the University of Minnesota with a political science degree. Following graduation, Mondale worked for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party before briefly joining the army.

Mondale would go on to obtain a law degree from the University of Minnesota. He practiced law in Minneapolis until he was selected in 1960 by the state’s governor Orville Freeman to becomes the state’s attorney general.

A fervent Democrat, in 1964, Mondale would become a Minnesota state senator. During his time in the U.S. Senate, Mondale would adamantly support two transformative pieces of legislation, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act. After serving as a senator for 12 years, Jimmy Carter asked Mondale to be his Vice-Presidential candidate in the 1976 election.

According to Rolling Stone, as vice president, Mondale attempted to establish peace in the Middle East, aided in the ratification of the Panama Canal treaty, helped resettle Vietnam War refugees, and offered support for affirmative action.

Mondale married Joan Adams Mondale in 1955. The couple had three children, sons Ted and William and daughter Eleanor. According to the Associated Press, William died in 2011 from brain cancer. Then, in 2014, at the age of 83, Joan passed away following an “extended illness.”

Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Win McNamee/Staff 

Kayla Koslosky is the former Editor of ChristianHeadlines.com. She has B.A. degrees in English and History and previously wrote for and was the managing editor of the Yellow Jacket newspaper. She has also contributed to IBelieve.com and Crosswalk.com.