Can the president change a mountain's name?

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - North America's tallest mountain will soon return to its previous name, Denali, more than a century after the Alaska peak was named to honor President William McKinley, who never set foot in the state.

The White House announced the change Sunday in a symbolic gesture to Alaska Natives. But the plan has politicians in McKinley's native Ohio looking for ways to block the move. Some answers to common questions about the issue:

Q: How did President Obama change the name?

A: On the eve of his trip to Alaska, the White House announced that Interior Secretary Sally Jewell changed the name by secretarial order, citing a 1947 law that allows the standardization of geographic names unilaterally when the U.S. Board on Geographic Names fails to act "within a reasonable time." The board shares responsibility with the Interior Department for naming such landmarks.

Q: Are there any positives in this for McKinley?

A: McKinley Presidential Library and Museum curator Kimberly Kenney said she's happy for the Alaskans who have sought the name change for 40 years. She said she's also glad that the 25th president is getting some attention.

"We're glad people are talking about President McKinley," Kenney said. "People don't talk about him often."

McKinley, a Republican, won the general election in both 1896 and 1900, twice defeating William Jennings Bryan. McKinley was killed by an assassin in 1901 in Buffalo, N.Y.