Jimmy Carter said in a statement on Monday night that he considered Mondale "the best vice president in our country's history."
ADVERTISEMENTWalter Mondale, the US vice president under Jimmy Carter between 1977 and 1981, died Monday. He was 93.
The death of the former senator, ambassador and Minnesota attorney general was announced in a statement from his family. No cause was cited.
Mondale followed the trail blazed by his political mentor, Hubert H. Humphrey, from Minnesota politics to the U.S. Senate and the vice presidency, serving under Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981.
In a statement Monday night, Carter said he considered Mondale "the best vice president in our country's history."
Mondale's own try for the White House, in 1984, came at the zenith of Ronald Reagan's popularity.
His selection of Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York as his running mate made him the first major-party presidential nominee to put a woman on the ticket, but his declaration that he would raise taxes helped define the race.
He lost by a landslide.
Mondale started his career in Washington in 1964, when he was appointed to the Senate to replace Humphrey, who had resigned to become vice president.
His Senate career was marked by advocacy of social issues such as education, housing, migrant workers and child nutrition. Like Humphrey, he was an outspoken supporter of civil rights.
Mondale tested the waters for a presidential bid in 1974 but ultimately decided against it. "Basically I found I did not have the overwhelming desire to be president, which is essential for the kind of campaign that is required," he said in November 1974.
In 1976, Carter chose Mondale as No. 2 on his ticket and went on to unseat Gerald Ford.
As vice president, Mondale had a close relationship with Carter.
He was the first vice president to occupy an office in the White House, rather than in a building across the street.
Mondale travelled extensively on Carter's behalf, and advised him on domestic and foreign affairs.