Letter to the Hon. Jim Reilly, Dir. of the U.S. Geological Survey - Gillibrand, Schumer announce that following their push, Adirondack mountain renamed after New York suffragist Inez Milholland

Letter

Dear Director Reilly,

We are writing to ask that the United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) in conjunction with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) designate and rename the Adirondacks' Mount Discovery in Lewis, Essex County, NY as Mount Inez, In honor of Inez Milholland, who is also known as Inez Milholland Boissevam.

Inez Milholland (1886-1916) was an attorney and social reformer who became a central leader of our nation's suffragists movement. She is famously remembered for participating in suffrage parades and leading rallies on horseback. She was a popular speaker on the suffrage campaign circuit of the National Woman's Party, and her barnstorming campaigns were integral to the passage of the constitutional amendment to enfranchise women. Although suffrage was her most notable civic contribution, she also as a champion of labor rights, prison reform, world peace and equality for African-Americans. When she died, Inez was the first woman to be memorialized in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. Her death also galvanized the suffrage movement to continue their efforts; her last public words were, "Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?"

Inez Milholland had a direct and long-term association with Essex County, New York and the mountain which is the subject of this re-naming request. Her father, John Milholland was an Essex county native, and Mount Discovery was part of the Milholland family property where she and her family spent time. Inez Milholland is buried in Lewis Cemetery along with her family. Following her death in 1916, reportedly, the surrounding communities with the support of Inez Milholland's family changed the name of Mount Discovery to Mount Inez. The name change, however, was not officially submitted to the USBGN for consideration, and the name Mount Discovery remained. There is local support for officially changing the name to Mount Inez; the Lewis Town Council approved a resolution supporting "the proposed name change of Mt. Discovery to Mt. Inez, that was originally initiated in 1916," at its September 10, 2019 meeting, and the Essex County Board of Supervisors approved a similar resolution of support at its October 1, 2019 meeting.

Inez Milholland's contributions, in particular, her ardent advocacy and role in helping to secure the right of women to vote, merit this mountain being renamed in her honor. With the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment granting all U.S. women the right to vote coming up in August of 2020, it would be an optimal time to complete the re-naming process that started over a century ago.

We ask that you please give this application your full consideration.

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