Former US Vice President Walter “Fritz” Mondale died on Monday. A spokesman for his family confirmed this to a number of US media. He was 93 years old.
Mundell was the right hand of Democratic President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981 and was known to be progressive. In the presidential election of 1984, he got a chance at the top office and chose Geraldine Ferraro as the vice president. She was the first female vice presidential candidate. Ultimately, however, Mondale lost to Republican Ronald Reagan.
Monday Mondale died at his home in Minneapolis (Minnesota). The cause of death was not revealed, but according to L. New York times Mundell was ready for his death. Over the weekend, he spoke for the last time with Carter, incumbent President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris, among others. He also e-mailed a farewell letter to his former employees.
In a joint response, Biden and his wife, Jill, said they were mourned by the death of Mondale. He was a “friend and mentor” to them, it seems. “When President Obama asked me to consider working as his vice president, Fritz was my first call and trusted mentor. Not only did he receive my call, he also wrote me a note. It was Walter Mondale who defined the vice presidency as a full partnership.
Carter Mondale briefly described him as “my good friend” and “the best vice president in the history of our country.” “During our time in office, Fritz used his political skills and personal integrity to transform the Vice President into a dynamic policymaking force that we had not seen before and still exists today.”
Under Carter, the vice president was given an office in the West Wing of the White House, rather than in the Senate. This tradition was continued by all of his successors.
