Former Vice President Walter Mondale died at the age of 93 on Monday, a family spokesperson confirmed.
Mondale served as Vice President to Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. He was also the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in 1984 when he lost to incumbent President Ronald Reagan. (RELATED: Former Secretary of State George Shultz Dies At 100)
BREAKING: Walter Mondale has died at 93.
He transformed the role of U.S. vice president while serving under Jimmy Carter and was the Democratic nominee for president in 1984. https://t.co/oR0FIxFRAq
— Axios (@axios) April 20, 2021
Mondale became the first vice president to maintain an office in the West Wing, according to Axios. President Joe Biden said at a 2015 George Washington University event that Mondale was the first person he called when he accepted the vice-presidential nomination from Barack Obama.
Law professor Joel Goldstein credited Mondale with making “the vice presidency into a robust and constructive institution,” according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Democratic Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith eulogized Mondale as “a giant.”
I loved Walter Mondale and I’m not the only one. Mondale was a giant not only because of the positions he held—Minnesota Attorney General, U.S. Senator, Vice President, Democratic Presidential candidate and Ambassador—but because of the work that he did.
— Senator Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) April 20, 2021
Before the vice presidency, Mondale served as Minnesota senator from 1964-1976. During Bill Clinton’s administration, he was Ambassador to Japan.