On this day in history David Rice Atchison was born back in 1807.

A United States senator from Missouri (1843-55), David Rice Atchison is a lively footnote to political history: he’s now known to trivia buffs as the man who was “president for one day.”


Supporters claim that Atchison was president on 4 March 1849, when newly-elected president Zachary Taylor refused to take the oath of office on a Sunday. The term of incumbent James Polk ended that day at noon, leaving the office theoretically vacant until Taylor could be sworn in on Monday.

http://www.who2.com/bio/david-rice-atchison/