Mpls. lake named for slavery fan may get new name

Published 11:35 am Friday, May 20, 2011

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis Parks Board is being asked to change the name of Lake Calhoun because its namesake was a politician who supported slavery.

John C. Calhoun was the secretary of war under President James Monroe and a vice president under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. Parks board member Brad Bourn says Calhoun was also an outspoken supporter of slavery.

Bourn and the board were approached by John Winters, a man who researched the lake’s name and concluded Calhoun was “one of the worst people ever born in this country.” Winters wants the lake renamed.

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According to a KARE-TV report (http://bit.ly/lvAibS), Bourn says a name change could take two years. The effort would include a public hearing, which is expected to be held in the next few months.