It’s not the face of “the Gipper” on Mount Rushmore, but it could be the next best thing.
 Mount Clay to become Mount Reagan (AlpineZone.com) |
Reports say former President Ronald Reagan is about to be honored by the state of New Hampshire by having a mountain named for him.
It’s actually a mountain being renamed – changed from Mount Clay, honoring Henry Clay to Mount Reagan, saluting the 40th U.S. president.
Clay was never president of the United States, and other mountains of the region have presidential namesakes such as Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison.
“I know Ronald Reagan. I worked for Ronald Reagan,” said Rep. Daniel Hughes during previous debate in the House. “Henry Clay is no Ronald Reagan.”
 Reagan, George H.W. Bush on Time cover |
According to Foster’s Daily Democrat in Dover, the bill’s original sponsor, Rep. Ken Weyler gave his colleagues a history lesson to help promote the change to Mount Reagan.
“Let’s go back to 1980,” Weyler said. “Double-digit inflation. Double-digit unemployment. He crafted a vision and he stuck to it. What a great man, Ronald Reagan. … [He] knew not only how to use the awesome power of the military, but the awesome power of the economy. One of the greatest presidents we’ve ever had.”
Two years ago, Reagan was named as America’s greatest president in a Gallup poll. As WorldNetDaily reported this week, the same poll taken in April of this year showed Reagan had dropped to fifth, ranking behind Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Some New Hampshire Democrats argued against the mountain measure, claiming it was moving through too quickly.
“If we make mountains political trophies that we can change the name of at will, then that is a disservice,” Rep. Judith Spang, D-Durham, said.
After House passage 213-130, the Reagan measure got overwhelming support from the Senate, with 18 votes in favor and just five opposed.
Critics in the Senate argued the change should not be made yet, since the 92-year-old Reagan was still alive, and name-change procedures usually commence at least half a decade following someone’s death.
Gov. Craig Benson is expected to approve the change to Mount Reagan, which peaks at an elevation of 5,532 feet.
National Airport in Washington, D.C., has already had its named changed to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Related story:
Poll: Clinton greater than Reagan, Washington
