United States Board on Geographic Names: The impact of controversy, 1890--present

In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison established the Board on Geographic Names to standardize the usage of geographic names in the Executive Branch of the United States government. Today, the Board is the final authority on the usage of geographic names throughout the federal government.;Controversy spans the Board's history since its inception and has influenced its development of domestic geographic names principles and policies. An examination of the U.S. Board's handling of controversial cases illustrates the strategies employed by the Board to preserve its power and integrity. The case of Mt. Rainier versus Mt. Tacoma began in 1890. Although the Board rendered its decision in 1891, the case resurfaced several more times between 1911 and 1934. In Colorado, the Mt. Massive versus Mt. Gannett or Gannett Peak case lasted from 1915--1922. Floridians protested President Lyndon Johnson's Executive Order that renamed Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, from 1963 until the Board rescinded the decision in 1973. Between 1965 and 1970, the Board dealt with the Bighorn Lake versus Yellowtail Reservoir case, which involved two states, Montana and Wyoming. Beginning in 1975, the Mt. McKinley versus Mt. Denali case came to a partial conclusion in 1981, but has yet to be fully resolved. Another significant controversy faced by the Board on Geographic Names concerns the passage of state legislation to eradicate the use of derogatory language on geographic names.;Although the Board emphasizes the significance of the principle of local usage, it has not been consistent in its employment of the principle. As a self-defined non-political entity, the Board has maneuvered around highly political or controversial name change cases through a series of strategies that include the deferment of decisions, the revision of principles and policies, and the establishment of new principles and policies. In general, these strategies allow the Board to avoid the controversy, or to prevent the reoccurrence of the controversy. Geographical placenames are highly political, and the U.S. Board of Geographic Names has survived 115 years because it has been politically adroit.