SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement on the passing of former Vice President Walter Mondale.
“Today, Minnesota has lost our North Star. Former Vice President Walter Mondale was a moral, courageous, and principled leader whose tireless work to improve the lives of his fellow Americans and people across the globe has left an indelible mark on history. Fritz was also a friend and a mentor to myself and so many others, and I am deeply saddened by news of his passing. I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his friends, family, and loved ones.
“What truly defines Walter Mondale’s life of public service is a relentless focus on standing up for what’s right and helping people in need. In the Senate, he engaged tirelessly in the long, difficult, and painstaking work of building meaningful and durable political change. A passionate civil rights advocate, Mondale was instrumental in negotiating and helping to pass the Fair Housing Act, Voting Rights Act, and key provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. In our nation’s 245 year struggle to build a more perfect union, few have contributed as much to that cause as Walter Mondale.
“More than anyone else, Mondale was responsible for defining the modern Vice Presidency by crafting a much larger role for the office than ever before, which he subsequently used to further the causes of peace and civil rights across the globe. It was Mondale’s hard work that opened the negotiations which ultimately led to the Camp David Accords and the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, a peace treaty that endures to this day. On the world stage, Walter Mondale was also a champion for the cause of refugees fleeing violence in Vietnam and his passionate advocacy on their behalf saved countless lives.
“Though he is no longer with us, Walter Mondale’s legacy lives on in the historic change he made and the innumerable lives he saved and improved. Let us all recommit ourselves to following in Fritz’s footsteps and continuing his lifelong work of building a better Minnesota, a more just America, and a more peaceful world.”