Aha Moment Maker: Who’s in Charge?
WASHINGTON D.C., 1849—America was preparing to inaugurate its 12th President, Zachary Taylor, who had been elected to take over for James K. Polk. At that time, Presidential terms began and expired at noon on March 4. However, this particular March 4 happened to be a Sunday, and the religious Taylor insisted that he instead be sworn in on Monday.
The resulting 24-hour gap has led many to wonder, who was the President of the United States from noon on March 4, 1849, until noon on March 5, 1849?
If you happen by his statue outside of the Clinton County Courthouse in Plattsburg, Missouri, or by his gravestone just a mile away, you might be inclined to think the answer is David Rice Atchison. Both monuments identify Atchison, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1843 to 1855, as “President of the United States for one day.”
Atchison was president pro tempore of the Senate, the...
