HARTFORD, Conn. — Gov. Ned Lamont announced that he is directing U.S. and state flags in Connecticut to be lowered to half-staff as a mark of respect for the memory and longstanding public service of Vice President Walter F. Mondale.
Mondale, a liberal icon who lost one of the most lopsided presidential elections after bluntly telling voters to expect a tax increase if he won, 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 of death 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 President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981.
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. Mondale was elected to a full six-year term with about 54% of the vote in 1966, although Democrats lost the governorship and suffered other election setbacks. In 1972, Mondale won another Senate term with nearly 57% of the vote.
His Senate career was marked by the advocacy of social issues such as education, housing, migrant workers and child nutrition. He was an outspoken supporter of civil rights.
The U.S. flag shall be flown at half-staff from the day of death until sunset on the day of interment following the death of a former vice president. Since no flag should fly higher than the U.S. flag, all other flags, including state, municipal, corporate, or otherwise, should also be lowered during this same duration of time.
“On behalf of the State of Connecticut, my condolences are with the Mondale family,” Lamont said. “Vice President Mondale devoted himself to championing the civil rights of all Americans and worked to ensure that everyone has [an] opportunity to achieve success in their lives regardless of their socioeconomic background or upbringing. We are deeply grateful for his service to the United States and the legacy he leaves.”
The Office of the Governor will send out a notification when flags should be returned to full-staff.
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