Mother: Claribel (Cowan) Mondale
Marriage: Joan (Adams) Mondale (December 27, 1955-February 3, 2014, her death)
Children: William, February 27, 1962; Eleanor, (January 19, 1960-September 17, 2011); Theodore “Teddy,” October 12, 1957
Education: University of Minnesota, B.A., 1951; University of Minnesota, L.L.B, 1956
Military Service: US Army, 1951-1953, Corporal
Religion: Presbyterian
Nicknamed “Fritz.”
Mondale announced during his acceptance speech at the 1984 Democratic nominating convention that he would raise taxes in order to reduce the budget deficit. “Let’s tell the truth…Mr. Reagan will raise taxes, and so will I. He won’t tell you, I just did.”
Colorado Sen. Gary Hart defeated Mondale in the New Hampshire primary in 1984 and had initial success positioning himself as the candidate of new ideas, until Mondale remarked, “When I hear your new ideas, I’m reminded of the [Wendy’s] ad, ‘Where’s the beef?'”