Former US vice-president Walter Mondale dies at 93
- Mondale, who lost in a historic landslide to Ronald Reagan in the 1984 presidential election, believed in an activist government and worked for civil rights
- He also served as US ambassador to Japan from 1993 to 1996 under Bill Clinton
Walter Mondale, a leading liberal Democratic voice of the late 20th century who was US vice-president under Jimmy Carter and lost in a historic landslide to Ronald Reagan in the 1984 presidential election, died on Monday at age 93, his family said.
“It is with profound sadness that we share news that our beloved dad passed away today in Minneapolis, Minnesota,” the family said in a statement.
Mondale, the first major US party presidential nominee to pick a woman running mate, believed in an activist government and worked for civil rights, school integration, consumer protection and farm and labour interests as a US Senator and vice-president during Carter’s troubled one-term presidency from 1977 to 1981.
He also served as US ambassador to Japan from 1993 to 1996 under Bill Clinton.
“It’s with great sadness that Jill and I learned of the passing of vice-president Walter Mondale, but great gratitude that we were able to call one of our nation’s most dedicated patriots and public servants a dear friend and mentor,” President Biden and first lady Jill Biden said in a statement.