Walter Mondale on steps of Capital Building.

Elder Statesman and
UMN Law School

  • Vice President Mondale with UMN Regent Wenda Moore and President Peter McGrath at the 1978 dedication of the Law School building.
  • Walter Mondale speaking at the Law School's 1985 Law Alumni Lecture
  • Walter Mondale with Dean Robert Stein
  • Walter Mondale with Geraldine Ferraro, 1998 Law School commencement
  • Dean Sullivan speaking at the 2001 rededication of Walter F. Mondale Hall
  • Walter Mondale pictured with Law School students
  • Walter Mondale signing a 'Fighting Mondales' intermural hockey t-shirt.
  • Professor Robert Stein with Walter Mondale
  • Walter Mondale speaking at the screening for the film Fritz
  • Walter Mondale teaching in Professor Robert Stein's Great Cases class
  • Walter Mondale with alumni and friends at the Law School's 125th Anniversary celebration
  • Walter Mondale, with Professor Robert Stein and Dean David Wippman
  • Walter Mondale with Law School students
  • Walter Mondale at a UMN Law Library reception
  • Dean Garry W. Jenkins, Hon. Walter Mondale, Representative James Clyburn, Professor Myron Orfield, and UMN President Eric Kaler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


In 1993, Mondale was appointed by President Clinton as Ambassador to Japan, in which role he served from 1993 to 1996. Mondale brought to the role his tested statesmanship and a true respect for the Japanese people. His background and approach paid dividends for Japanese-American relations and helped to recalibrate an important partnership. His admiration for Japan and the Japanese led to friendships among businessmen and bureaucrats that endured long after his tenure in Japan. Japanese Foreign Minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, later praised Mondale for laying the foundation of a new relationship between the countries.

In later years, Mondale remained active in the Democratic party, stepping in to run in the 2002 Senate race after Senator Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash. He continued to maintain a busy schedule in his last two decades, travelling between Washington, D.C. and Minnesota, where he stayed on as a partner and senior counsel at Dorsey & Whitney in Minneapolis. In Washington, Mondale acted as an informal but trusted advisor to political figures and the government, while supporting the causes that were closest to his heart in Minnesota.

At the University of Minnesota Law School, in particular, Mondale maintained close relationships throughout his life. He acted as an advisor on Law School governance and delivered the commencement address to several graduating classes. In 1978, he was the keynote speaker at the dedication of the new Law School building; and again, in 2001, when the building was renamed in his honor. Mondale also returned to teach seminars and to lecture, notably in former dean and Professor Robert Stein’s Great Cases seminar. He participated graciously in Law School events and remained affectionately connected to the students, faculty, and his fellow alumni. The photos capture a few of the endearing memories of the Vice President at the Law School.