Former U.S. Vice President Walter “Fritz” Mondale passed away in Minneapolis, MN, on Monday, April 19, at the age of 93.
Mondale was elected to office in 1976 and served with President Jimmy Carter.
“During our administration, Fritz used his political skill and personal integrity to transform the vice presidency into a dynamic, policy-driving force that had never been seen before and still exists today,” Carter stated in a press release.
Later, in 1984, Mondale became the Democratic candidate for President of the United States and he chose U.S. Representative Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate—she became the first woman to run on a major party ticket for the White House.
Current U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stated that “Mondale led an extraordinary life of service. He defended our nation as a member of the United States Army during the Korean War, and he protected our Constitution as Minnesota’s Attorney General. As United States Senator, he fought for equal justice—working tirelessly to ban discrimination in housing and to build the Great Society.”
“Each time I open my desk drawer and see his signature there, alongside the signatures of 11 other Vice Presidents, I will be reminded of and grateful for Vice President Mondale’s life of service,” Harris concluded.
President Joe Biden announced that Mondale “not only created a path for himself, he helped others do the same.”
“Walter Mondale was the first presidential nominee of either party to select a woman as his running mate,” Biden continued. “I know how pleased he was to be able to see Kamala Harris become Vice President.”
“Our hearts go out to the Mondale family,” Biden stated. “We take some comfort in the fact that he is with Joan and Eleanor now.”
