139. Reshaping the Vice Presidency

Walter Mondale graduated from UMN Twin Cities with a B.S. in political science and a J.D. from the law school. He served in the U.S. Senate for 12 years and in the vice presidency under President Jimmy Carter. Mondale reshaped the office. Preceding his tenure in office, the vice presidency was primarily a ceremonial position. When Jimmy Carter asked him to be his running mate, Mondale agreed—but only if he could serve as a key advisor with a West Wing office, Cabinet access, and a weekly private lunch. Every vice president since has built on his approach.

140. The Boy Wonder

Harold Stassen is probably best remembered for the 44-year period from 1948 to 1992 when, nine times, he sought the Republican nomination for president. Before that he was the “Boy Wonder,” who was elected governor at just 31 years old. Stassen later resigned during World War II to serve in the Navy, helped draft and sign the United Nations Charter, and served as president of the University of Pennsylvania. He got his start at UMN Twin Cities, earning a B.A. in 1927 and a law degree in 1929.

141. The Happy Warrior

Hubert Humphey, civil rights champion and vice president under President Lyndon B. Johnson, earned a B.A. from UMN Twin Cities. He was elected mayor of Minneapolis in 1945 and created the nation’s first municipal enforcement against employment discrimination. Humphrey spoke at the 1948 Democratic National Convention, where he urged his party to “leave the shadow of state’s rights and walk into the bright sunshine of human rights.” The speech helped force civil rights into the Democratic platform and launched Humphrey as a national figure. Nicknamed the “Happy Warrior,” Humphrey was highly influential in the U.S. Senate as a prolific and progressive legislator, serving as floor manager for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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