David Rice Atchison American political figure Country: USA

1. Early Life and Career
2. Missouri Legislature and Judiciary
3. Election to the U.S. Senate
4. "Bloody Kansas" and Border Violence
5. Acting President for a Day
6. Later Career and Legacy

Early Life and Career

David Rice Atchison was born in 1807 in Fayette County, Kentucky. After graduating from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, he moved to Missouri, where he established himself as a farmer and attorney.

Missouri Legislature and Judiciary

In the late 1830s and early 1840s, Atchison served in the Missouri State Legislature. From 1841 to 1843, he was also a circuit judge.

Election to the U.S. Senate

In 1843, the Missouri Legislature elected Atchison to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy created by the death of a previous senator.

"Bloody Kansas" and Border Violence

As a senator from a slave state, Atchison took a hard stance on the issue of the territory of Kansas's admission to the Union. He actively supported pro-slavery forces in Kansas and crossed the border with a group of armed men to ensure the election of a pro-slavery legislature. The fraudulent elections led to violence in the territory, known as "Bloody Kansas."

Acting President for a Day

Atchison had a unique claim to U.S. presidential history. In 1849, he served as President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate, which made him third in line to the presidency. President Zachary Taylor was inaugurated on a Sunday, and due to his religious beliefs, he refused to take the oath of office. Vice President Millard Fillmore was not sworn in either, but the terms of President James Polk and Vice President George Dallas expired at midnight. Legally, Atchison could have become president, but he declined to take the oath of office because Taylor and Fillmore were not deemed incapacitated. In his later years, Atchison humorously remarked that his supposed presidency "was the most honest one in the history of this country."

Later Career and Legacy

David Atchison passed away in 1886 and was buried in Plattsburg, Missouri. His tombstone bears the inscription: "David R. Atchison. President of the United States one day."