Lester Mondale
Encyclopedia
The Reverend Robert Lester Mondale (May 28, 1904 – August 19, 2003) was an American
Unitarian
minister and Humanist
. He was the only person to sign each of the three Humanist Manifesto
s of 1933, 1973, and 2003.
, the son of Methodist minister and World War I
hero Theodore Sigvaard Mondale and Jessie Alice Larson. Although his family was Methodist, he converted to Unitarianism
while earning his B.A.
from Hamline University
. In 1926 Mondale entered the Unitarian ministry and in 1929 he earned an S.T.B.
from Harvard Divinity School
. He was ordained by the New North Unitarian Church, Hingham, Massachusetts
, and went on to serve congregations in Kansas City, Missouri
; Birmingham, Michigan
; White Plains, New York
; Tempe, Arizona
; and Quincy, Illinois
. His younger half-brother was Walter Mondale
, Vice-President of the United States under Jimmy Carter
.
In 1933, Mondale was the youngest to sign A Humanist Manifesto and was also signatory to the 1973 Humanist Manifesto II
. At age 99, he was the oldest to sign to the 2003 Humanism and Its Aspirations
and was the only signatory to all three documents. He died shortly afterwards.
Mondale was a member of the American Humanist Association
(AHA) since its inception and received its Humanist Pioneer award in 1973 and the Humanist Founder award in 2001.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
minister and Humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
. He was the only person to sign each of the three Humanist Manifesto
Humanist Manifesto
Humanist Manifesto is the title of three manifestos laying out a Humanist worldview. They are the original Humanist Manifesto , the Humanist Manifesto II , and Humanism and Its Aspirations...
s of 1933, 1973, and 2003.
Biography
Mondale was born in Walnut Grove, MinnesotaWalnut Grove, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 599 people, 291 households, and 178 families residing in the city. The population density was 577.7 people per square mile . There were 341 housing units at an average density of 328.9 per square mile...
, the son of Methodist minister and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
hero Theodore Sigvaard Mondale and Jessie Alice Larson. Although his family was Methodist, he converted to Unitarianism
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
while earning his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Hamline University
Hamline University
-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
. In 1926 Mondale entered the Unitarian ministry and in 1929 he earned an S.T.B.
Bachelor of Sacred Theology
The Bachelor of Sacred Theology is a graduate-level academic degree in theology.The Bachelor of Sacred Theology is offered by a number of Pontifical Universities. It is sometimes offered as a graduate degree, for students who have already completed a B.A. or other first degree...
from Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
. He was ordained by the New North Unitarian Church, Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
, and went on to serve congregations in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
; Birmingham, Michigan
Birmingham, Michigan
Birmingham is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan and an affluent suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,103...
; White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
; Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
; and Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
. His younger half-brother was Walter Mondale
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...
, Vice-President of the United States under Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
.
In 1933, Mondale was the youngest to sign A Humanist Manifesto and was also signatory to the 1973 Humanist Manifesto II
Humanist Manifesto II
The second Humanist Manifesto was written in 1973 by Paul Kurtz and Edwin H. Wilson, and was intended to update the previous one. It begins with a statement that the excesses of Nazism and world war had made the first seem "far too optimistic", and indicated a more hardheaded and realistic...
. At age 99, he was the oldest to sign to the 2003 Humanism and Its Aspirations
Humanism and Its Aspirations
Humanism and Its Aspirations subtitled Humanist Manifesto III, a successor to the Humanist Manifesto of 1933 is the most recent of the Humanist Manifestos published in 2003 by the American Humanist Association...
and was the only signatory to all three documents. He died shortly afterwards.
Mondale was a member of the American Humanist Association
American Humanist Association
The American Humanist Association is an educational organization in the United States that advances Humanism. "Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism and other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that...
(AHA) since its inception and received its Humanist Pioneer award in 1973 and the Humanist Founder award in 2001.
External links
- Press release announcing his death
- The Human Infinite by Mondale
- Beyond the Ten Commandments by Mondale.