The Reverend Robert Lester Mondale (May 28, 1904 – August 19, 2003) was an American Unitarian minister and

Humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

. He is notable as having signed all three documents popularly called the Humanist Manifesto (the original 1933 one, the second one in 1973, and the third one in 2003 shortly before his death).

Biography

Mondale was born in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, the son of

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

hero Theodore Sigvaard Mondale and Jessie Alice Larson. Although his family was Methodist, he converted to

Unitarianism Unitarianism () is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian sect of Christianity. Unitarian Christians affirm the wikt:unitary, unitary God in Christianity, nature of God as the singular and unique Creator deity, creator of the universe, believe that ...

while earning his B.A. from

Hamline University Hamline University ( ) is a private university in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1854, Hamline is the oldest university in Minnesota, the first coeducational university in the state, and is one of five Associated Colleges of th ...

. In 1926 Mondale entered the Unitarian ministry and in 1929 he earned an S.T.B. from

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...

. He was ordained by the New North Unitarian Church,

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Part of the Greater Boston region, it is located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of Massachusetts. At the 2020 ...

, and went on to serve congregations in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

;

Birmingham, Michigan Birmingham is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Detroit located along the Woodward Corridor (M-1 (Michigan highway), M-1). As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 censu ...

;

White Plains, New York White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, and a commercial hub of Westchester County, a densely populated suburban county that is home to about one milli ...

;

Tempe, Arizona Tempe ( ; ''Oidbaḍ'' in O'odham language, O'odham) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2020 population of 180,587. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in t ...

; and

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ) is a city in Adams County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Mississippi River, the population was 39,463 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 40,633 in 2010. The Quincy, Illinois, mic ...

. His younger half-brother was

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928April 19, 2021) was the 42nd vice president of the United States serving from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Minnesota from 1964 to 1976. ...

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

under

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

. He was married three times. From his first wife, Edith Eldred Klose, he had one daughter, Tarand Elose Mondale Swenstad. From his second wife, Fay A. Smead, he had three daughters: Ellen Smead Mondale, Karen Smead Mondale and Julia Smead Kellum Mondale Jensen. He married his third wife, Rosemary Delap, on May 31, 1961.

Selected publications

*''The Missouri still runs wild'', Westport Pub. Co. (Kansas City, MO) 1943 *''Three Unitarian philosophies of religion'', Beacon Press (Boston) 1946 *''The Unitarian way of life'', Beacon Press (Boston) 1943 *''Values in world religions'', Starr King Press 1958 *''Preachers in Purgatory With Reference to Accounts of More Than a Hundred Ministers Reporting on Crisis Situations'', Beacon Press 1966 *''New Man of Religious Humanism'', Volturna Press 1973

References

External links

Press release announcing his death

by Mondale

by Mondale. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mondale, Lester 1904 births 2003 deaths People from Walnut Grove, Minnesota American humanists American Unitarian Universalists Hamline University alumni Harvard Divinity School alumni Walter Mondale Writers from Minnesota Former Methodists Converts to Unitarianism American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century Unitarian clergy American Unitarian clergy Religious leaders from Minnesota