McKinley and Wilson had a very bad day

Sunday was a bad day for ex-presidents.

President William McKinley lost his mountain, and President Woodrow Wilson lost his statue on the University of Texas’ Main Mall.

Neither McKinley nor Wilson would have complained. Alaska officials always resented federal officials changing the name of the tallest mountain in North America, and state and local officials almost always used the Alaskan name, Denali.

Wilson, according to University of Texas researchers, actually objected when the 1920s sculpture in his likeness was commissioned.

Wilson’s statue will be relocated.

McKinley, on the other hand, lost his namesake mountain forever when President Obama announced the name rollback Sunday. That upset McKinley’s fellow Ohioans and Republicans, but fulfilled a long-standing effort by Alaskan officials.

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 5:59 PM with the headline "McKinley and Wilson had a very bad day."