The family of former Vice President Walter Mondale announced his death on Monday at the age of 93. No cause of death was indicated.
Early Life of Vice President Walter Mondale
He was born in Ceylon on January 5, 1928, and later relocated to Elmore. He went to Macalester College in St. Paul before graduating from the University of Minnesota. Since serving in the Army during the Korean War, he used the GI Bill to attend law school at the University of Minnesota.
Mondale had an early interest in politics, and his success was linked to that of fellow Minnesotan Hubert H. Humphrey.
In 1948, he worked for campaign manager Orville Freeman and helped mobilize students for Humphrey's Senate campaign. After directing Freeman's gubernatorial campaign in 1960, he was named state attorney general.
In 1964, he assisted Humphrey in handling a tense crisis at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, a heated disagreement about the ethnic makeup of Mississippi's all-white delegation, according to a published article on CNBC News.
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Mondale's Achievements in the Country
In a recently published article on the USA Today, Ira Shapiro, in his 2012 book, mentioned, "Mondale had been an impressive senator in his own right. He had a fine legal mind, loved to legislate, and got along well with colleagues in both parties."
Among the accomplishments cited by Shapiro were his contributions on behalf of human rights reform and efforts to assist migrant farm workers. He was also a member of the panel headed by Sen. Frank Church (D-Idaho) that investigated the FBI and CIA's covert operations.
In a published article on NPR News, as a former lawmaker, Mondale spent most of his time at the Capitol Hill lobbying for the president's political goals. He was also a key player in the talks between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, which resulted in the signing of the landmark Camp David Accords by the two former adversaries.
In addition, he sought to end the refugee crisis that had ravaged Southeast Asia in the aftermath of decades of conflict and injustice. "Let us honor the moral values we inherit," Mondale said in July 1979 at a United Nations conference on refugees. "Let us do something significant - something profound - to alleviate this pain. We are dealing with a global problem. Let us have a global solution."
On his official website, it is also stated, "As a senator, vice president, and presidential candidate, Mondale played a transitional role in the Democratic Party, seeking to bridge the generational and ideological divisions that racked the party during and after the 1960s."
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Mondale's Former Colleagues Mourn
Former President Jimmy Carter, who is now 96 years old, said in a statement, "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."
Al Gore, one of his successors as vice president, once said, "You can divide every vice president in American history into two categories: pre-Walter Mondale and post-Walter Mondale."
