Minnesota has been in the news quite a bit lately, with the trial of Derek Chauvin, and the protests revolving around several recent, high-profile police killings in Minnesota. It has all been enough to almost alter our views of Minnesota, a state that previously seemed almost defined by the stereotype of the people there in the famous movie Fargo.
But there was other news from Minnesota last night. Former Vice-President Walter Mondale passed away at the age of 93.
Mondale served as Vice-President from January of 1977 until January of 1981 under the Carter administration. His political career did not end there, as he ran for the White House himself, and was successful enough to become the Democratic presidential nominee. That, though, was the extent of his success, as he was soundly defeated by incumbent President Reagan, who won 49 of the 50 states.
However, that was not the end of his political career. He was nominated and served as Ambassador to Japan by President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1996, and then was Clinton’s special envoy to Indonesia in 1998.
Mondale served in the Senate prior to becoming Vice-President under Carter, and he was asked to run for the Senate again after being asked to step in for Senator Paul Wellstone, a Democrat who died in a plane crash just before the election in 2002. He lost that election, however, and that marked the end of his active political career.
Former President Jimmy Carter, who picked Mondale to be his running mate in the 1976 election, had this to say in memory of his former colleague:
"Today I mourn the passing of my dear friend Walter Mondale, who I consider the best vice president in our country’s history [...] Rosalynn and I join all Americans in giving thanks for his exemplary life, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family."
Mondale died last night of natural causes, and in his sleep. Before his death, he was the oldest living former Vice-President, a distinction which now goes to Dick Cheney.
I got the quote about Mondale from Carter on the Walter Mondale Wikepedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Mondale
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