Joan Mondale
Encyclopedia
Joan Adams Mondale is the wife of Walter Mondale
, the 42nd Vice President of the United States
and later the U.S. ambassador to Japan. She is an advocate for the arts.
Joan Adams was born in Eugene, Oregon
, and is one of three daughters of the Rev. John Maxwell Adams, a Presbyterian minister, and his wife, the former Eleanor Jane Hall. She attended Media Friends School, an integrated Quaker school in Media, Pennsylvania
, a public school in Columbus, Ohio
, and later St. Paul Academy and Summit School
in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1952, she graduated from Macalester College
, where her father served as a chaplain. Following her graduation from college, she worked at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts before returning to Minnesota, where she worked at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
She married Walter Mondale on December 27, 1955, several months after a blind date. The date was set up by her brother-in-law, future Judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals William Canby, a law school classmate of Walter Mondale's at the University of Minnesota
. The couple has three children: a daughter, Eleanor
, and two sons, Theodore and William.
During her husband's term as Vice President from 1977 to 1981, Joan Mondale served as Honorary Chairperson of the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. In 1972, she wrote "Politics in Art", a book for young adults. During her time at Number One Observatory Circle
, which served as the official Vice Presidential residence, Mondale made the house a showcase of American art, opening it up for tours and decorating it with works by Robert Rauschenberg
, Edward Hopper
, Louise Nevelson, Ansel Adams
, and others. An advocate for the arts, she also testified before Congress in an attempt to revise the estate tax to benefit artists and their families.
Following her husband's defeat in the 1980 Vice Presidential race, the Mondales returned to Minnesota
, where they lived until her husband's 1993 appointment as U.S. Ambassador to Japan. While living in Japan
from 1993 to 1996, she studied Japanese art.
At its 1977 commencement ceremonies, Barnard College
awarded Mondale its highest honor, the Barnard Medal of Distinction.
In 1980, a tulip created by Dutch breeder J. F. van der Berg was named in her honor.
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
, the 42nd Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
and later the U.S. ambassador to Japan. She is an advocate for the arts.
Joan Adams was born in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, and is one of three daughters of the Rev. John Maxwell Adams, a Presbyterian minister, and his wife, the former Eleanor Jane Hall. She attended Media Friends School, an integrated Quaker school in Media, Pennsylvania
Media, Pennsylvania
The borough of Media is the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and is located west of Philadelphia. Media was incorporated in 1850 at the same time that it was named the county seat. The population was 5,533 at the 2000 census. Its school district is the Rose Tree Media School District...
, a public school in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, and later St. Paul Academy and Summit School
St. Paul Academy and Summit School
St. Paul Academy and Summit School is a college preparatory independent day school in St. Paul, Minnesota, for students in grades K–12....
in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1952, she graduated from Macalester College
Macalester College
Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
, where her father served as a chaplain. Following her graduation from college, she worked at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts before returning to Minnesota, where she worked at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
She married Walter Mondale on December 27, 1955, several months after a blind date. The date was set up by her brother-in-law, future Judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals William Canby, a law school classmate of Walter Mondale's at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor , Masters of Law for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D.,...
. The couple has three children: a daughter, Eleanor
Eleanor Mondale
Eleanor Jane Mondale Poling was an American radio personality television host, and actress.-Biography:...
, and two sons, Theodore and William.
During her husband's term as Vice President from 1977 to 1981, Joan Mondale served as Honorary Chairperson of the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. In 1972, she wrote "Politics in Art", a book for young adults. During her time at Number One Observatory Circle
Number One Observatory Circle
Number One Observatory Circle is the official residence of the Vice President of the United States.Located on the northeast grounds of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, the house was built in 1893 for its superintendent. The Chief of Naval Operations liked the house so much...
, which served as the official Vice Presidential residence, Mondale made the house a showcase of American art, opening it up for tours and decorating it with works by Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg was an American artist who came to prominence in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg is well-known for his "Combines" of the 1950s, in which non-traditional materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations...
, Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. While most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching...
, Louise Nevelson, Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams
Ansel Easton Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist, best known for his black-and-white photographs of the American West, especially in Yosemite National Park....
, and others. An advocate for the arts, she also testified before Congress in an attempt to revise the estate tax to benefit artists and their families.
Following her husband's defeat in the 1980 Vice Presidential race, the Mondales returned to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, where they lived until her husband's 1993 appointment as U.S. Ambassador to Japan. While living in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
from 1993 to 1996, she studied Japanese art.
At its 1977 commencement ceremonies, Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
awarded Mondale its highest honor, the Barnard Medal of Distinction.
In 1980, a tulip created by Dutch breeder J. F. van der Berg was named in her honor.