Former President Carter honored his former vice president, Walter Mondale, after Mondale died on Monday at the age of 93.
“Today I mourn the passing of my dear friend Walter Mondale, who I consider the best vice president in our country’s history,” Carter said in a statement shared on Twitter by The Carter Center.
“During our administration, Fritz used his political skill and personal integrity to transform the vice presidency into a dynamic, policy-driving force that had never been seen before and still exists today,” Carter continued. “He was an invaluable partner and an able servant of the people of Minnesota, the United States, and the world.”
Carter said Mondale “provided us all with a model for public service and private behavior.”
Mondale served as vice president during Carter’s single term in the White House. He also represented Minnesota in the Senate for 12 years and ran as the Democratic presidential nominee in 1984.
Both current Minnesota senators honored Mondale on social media on Monday.
“I loved Walter Mondale and I’m not the only one. Mondale was a giant not only because of the positions he held—Minnesota Attorney General, U.S. Senator, Vice President, Democratic Presidential candidate and Ambassador—but because of the work that he did,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) tweeted.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) called Mondale “a true public servant and my friend and mentor.”
Mondale also held a post in the Clinton administration as ambassador to Japan from 1993 to 1996.
Mondale was married to his wife, Joan Mondale, from 1955 until her death in 2014. He is survived by his two sons, Ted and William Mondale, in addition to a brother and six grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Eleanor.