David Rice Atchison
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David Rice Atchison (August 11, 1807 – January 26, 1886) was a mid-19th century Democratic United States Senator from Missouri. Frequently serving as President Pro Tempore of the Senate, he is probably best known as the focus of an urban legend claiming that, for one day, he was de jure President of the United States.
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[edit] Early life and Senate career
Born in Frogtown (later named Kirklevington [which is now part of Lexington]), Fayette County, Kentucky, Atchison was educated at Transylvania University in Lexington before becoming a lawyer and farmer in western Missouri. Through his tenure in Missouri, Atchison also served in the state legislature and as a circuit-court judge, and in 1843 was appointed to the United States Senate to replace a Missouri Senator who had just died. He held this office from 1843 to 1855. He became the first senator from western Missouri and, at age 36, the youngest Missourian at that time to enter the U.S. Senate. Due to his strong desire to see the Kansas territory be admitted to the Union as a slave state, he played a significant behind-the-scenes role with respect to the Missouri "border ruffians" who voted fraudulently in Kansas territorial elections in 1855-1857, setting the stage for the "Bleeding Kansas" crisis.
[edit] "President for One Day"
Some claim that Atchison technically was President of the United States for one day—Sunday, March 4, 1849. Outgoing President James Polk's term expired at noon, March 4, and his successor, Zachary Taylor, refused to be sworn into office on the sabbath (Sunday). Taylor's Vice Presidential running mate, Millard Fillmore, likewise was not inaugurated. As President Pro Tempore, and therefore Acting Vice President, under the presidential succession law in place at the time, Atchison was technically Acting President.
However, while it is true that the offices of President and Vice President were vacant, Atchison in fact was not next in line. While the terms of James K. Polk and Vice President George Mifflin Dallas expired at noon, March 4, Atchison's tenure as President Pro Tempore did as well. He also never took the oath of office, although there is no constitutional requirement, then or now, for an Acting President to do so. No disability or lack of qualification prevented Taylor and Fillmore from taking office, and as they had been duly certified as President-elect and Vice President-elect, if Taylor was not President because he had not been sworn in as such, then Atchison, who hadn't been sworn in either, certainly wasn't.
Atchison was sworn in for his new term as President Pro Tempore minutes before both Fillmore and Taylor, which might theoretically make him Acting President for at least that length of time; however, this also implies that any time the Vice President is sworn in before the President, the Vice President is the de facto Acting President. Since this is a common occurrence, if Atchison is considered President, so must every Vice President whose inauguration preceded that of the President. Obviously this is not the case. Therefore, while one could argue that Atchison was legally President for a few minutes (though even this much is highly debatable), claims that he should be considered an "official" President are surely incorrect.
When asked what he did on March 4, 1849, Atchison replied, "I went to bed. There had been two or three busy nights finishing up the work of the Senate, and I slept most of that Sunday." He jokingly boasted that his "presidency" was the "most honest administration this country ever had."
Despite this, a museum exhibit in his honor (claiming to be the country's smallest "presidential library") opened in February 2006 at the Atchison County Historical Museum in Atchison, Kansas.
Atchison was 41 years and 6 months old at the time of his "presidency," which, if it had been official, would still make him the youngest President in American history. Theodore Roosevelt, the youngest to serve, was 42 years and 11 months old when he was sworn in following the death of William McKinley in 1901, and John F. Kennedy, the youngest to be elected, was 43 years and 7 months old when he was inaugurated in 1961. As President Pro Tempore, Atchinson served as Acting Vice President on two separate occasions, from October 20, 1852 to March 4, 1853 and from April 18, 1853 to December 4, 1854.
[edit] Memorials
Atchison is buried in his home of Plattsburg, Missouri, where a statue honors him in front of the Clinton County Courthouse. His grave marker reads "President of the United States for One Day."
Atchison, Kansas is named for him. The town subsequently gave its name to the famous Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad.
[edit] See also
Places named for David Atchison
[edit] External links
- Urban Legends: President for a Day
- Useless Information: David Rice Atchison
- U.S. Senate Historical Minute Essay
| Preceded by Ambrose Hundley Sevier |
President pro tempore of the United States Senate August 8, 1846–December 2, 1849 |
Succeeded by William R. King |
| Preceded by William R. King |
President pro tempore of the United States Senate December 20, 1852–December 4, 1854 |
Succeeded by Lewis Cass |
