Mondale, Walter Frederick

Mondale, Walter Frederick

(Fritz Mondale), 1928–, Vice President of the United States (1977–81), b. Ceylon, Minn., LL.B., Univ. of Minn., 1956. A liberal Democrat, he was active in the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party and served as state attorney general (1960–64). When Hubert HumphreyHumphrey, Hubert Horatio,
1911–78, U.S. Vice President (1965–69), b. Wallace, S.Dak. After practicing pharmacy for several years, Humphrey taught political science and became involved in state politics.
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 became vice president in 1964, Mondale was appointed to replace him in the U.S. Senate; he served until 1977. In 1976 Jimmy CarterCarter, Jimmy
(James Earl Carter, Jr.), 1924–, 39th President of the United States (1977–81), b. Plains, Ga, grad. Annapolis, 1946.

Carter served in the navy, where he worked with Admiral Hyman G. Rickover in developing the nuclear submarine program.
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 chose Mondale to be his vice president; Mondale subsequently became one of the first vice presidents to be significantly involved in an administration. Carter and Mondale ran for reelection in 1980, but lost to the Republican ticket of Ronald ReaganReagan, Ronald Wilson
, 1911–2004, 40th president of the United States (1981–89), b. Tampico, Ill. In 1932, after graduation from Eureka College, he became a radio announcer and sportscaster.
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 and George H. W. BushBush, George Herbert Walker,
1924–2018, 41st President of the United States (1989–93), b. Milton, Mass., B.A., Yale Univ., 1948. Career in Business and Government
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. In 1984 Mondale, as the Democratic presidential nominee, became the first major-party candidate to choose a woman, Geraldine FerraroFerraro, Geraldine Anne
, 1935–2011, American political leader, b. Newburgh, N.Y., grad. Marymount College (1956), Fordham Law School (1960). A Democrat from Queens, N.Y., she began her career as a criminal prosecutor and later served three terms in the U.S.
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, as a running mate. The Mondale-Ferraro ticket lost to the incumbents. Mondale was U.S. ambassador to Japan from 1993 to 1996. After the death of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone shortly before the 2002 vote, Mondale was nominated to run in his place but failed to win the election.