In Minnesota on Sunday, President Joe Biden described Walter “Fritz” Mondale as one of the “toughest, smartest” men he has ever known in a speech at the former vice president’s long-delayed memorial service. “Fritz was a giant in American political history,” Biden told the crowd of mourners. “Fritz was a master legislator who shone a light on those who needed it most.”

Mondale, who died last year at 93 years old, was a liberal lawmaker known for his championing of civil rights and tax reform during his 12 years in the Senate. Considered the first second-in-command to serve as a true partner to his president, Jimmy Carter, Mondale later became known for his own doomed presidential run in 1984, suffering a crushing defeat by Ronald Reagan. But “at every turn, Fritz reflected the light of this nation,” Biden said on Sunday. “Who we are and what we can be.” Shortly before his April 2021 death, Mondale had urged his staff in a final message to “keep up the good fight,” saying that having “Joe in the White House” would “certainly” help. In a public response to the news of Mondale’s death, Biden called him a “dear friend and mentor” who “helped provide a model for my service.”