(53.) WALTER FREDERICK MONDALE (1928- )
Democrat Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro
Defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan/George H. W. Bush, 1984

Walter F. Mondale was born in Ceylon, Minnesota, the second youngest of seven children. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1951 and from the university’s Law School in 1956.

Mondale’s political career began in 1960 when he was appointed attorney general of Minnesota. In 1964 he was appointed to the U. S. Senate to replace Hubert Humphrey, who had been elected vice president. As a senator, Mondale became known for his liberal views. He voted for bills that favored civil rights, consumer protection, education reform, and political campaign financing reform.

In 1976 a Democratic ticket of Carter and Mondale defeated Republican opponents Gerald Ford and Senator Robert Dole. In the 1980 presidential election, Carter and Mondale were again Democratic nominees, but were defeated by Republican opponents Reagan and Bush. In 1984 the Democratic National Convention nominated Mondale for president with Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate, the first woman ever chosen for the vice presidency. They were defeated by Reagan and Bush.

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