Mount Kennedy
| Mount Kennedy | |
|---|---|
Mount Kennedy (left) from the air to the north, with the summits of Mts. Hubbard and Alverstone showing. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4,250-4,300 metres (~14,000 feet) |
| Prominence | 390 m (1,280 ft) |
| Listing | Mountains of Yukon |
| Coordinates | 60°20′28.2″N 138°57′58.8″W / 60.341167°N 138.966333°W |
| Geography | |
| Interactive map of Mount Kennedy | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Yukon |
| Parent range | Saint Elias Mountains |
| Topo map | NTS 115B7 Mount Kennedy |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1965 |
| Easiest route | glacier/snow/ice climb |
Mount Kennedy is a peak in the Saint Elias Mountains within Kluane National Park, in Yukon, Canada. Its 4250-m to 4300-m (14000-foot) summit lies within 10 km of the Alaska Panhandle. Dusty Glacier lies against it to the north.
The Canadian government named the peak in honour of U.S. President John F. Kennedy nearly a year following his assassination. In announcing the decision to the House of Commons on November 20, 1964, prime minister Lester B. Pearson said "I believe it is appropriate that Canada's memorial to him should be a mountain. A mountain is solid and enduring. Mount Kennedy is a graceful, towering, unencumbered peak ... a symbol of aspiration and upward reach." It was at the time, the highest peak in North America that had not yet been climbed. American mountaineer Bradford Washburn who had aided the Canadian government in selecting the peak said that "the Canadians sought a mountain that had not previously been named, that towered lofty and magnificent, and that lay as close as possible to the international boundary, where it would endure as a symbol of the unique friendship that exists between our two great nations."