Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Missouri Plattsburg Grave of David Rice Atchison

Grave of David Rice Atchison

The man who was president for only one day and spent most of it asleep.

Plattsburg, Missouri

Added By
Thomas Harper
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
David Rice Atchison Grave.   Jimmy Emerson, DVM
A daguerrotype of David Rice Atchison.   Matthew Brady/Public Domain
Statue with plaque proclaiming the One-Day Presidency in front of Clinton County Courthouse.   Americasroof/CC BY-SA 3.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

There may be one president we're forgetting about.

In the annals of who has been president of the United States, due to interpretation of the laws of succession, there is potentially one man who was president for one day—March 4, 1849. That man was President pro tempore of the Senate on that day, Missouri lawyer David Rice Atchison. His tombstone in Plattsburg's Green Lawn Cemetery tells of his one day as (possibly) POTUS.

The term of President James K. Polk ended at noon on Sunday, March 4, 1849, however the incoming President, Zachary Taylor, refused to be sworn in on the Sabbath. There would also be no swearing in of Millard Fillmore, his vice president. Under the laws of succession at the time, the President pro tempore of the Senate would be considered the Acting Vice President, and therefore president on the Sunday before Taylor could be sworn in.

However, scholars consider it a mere curiosity of history. Atchison was never technically sworn in nor did he exercise any power. Also on that date the Senate was finished for the term. In an interview, he said: "There had been three or four busy nights finishing up the work of the Senate, and I slept most of that Sunday."

Despite the claims of historians, his simple grave marker in Greenlawn Cemetery in Plattsburg reads "President of the United States for One Day, Sunday, March 4, 1849." A statue in front of the Clinton County Courthouse also proclaims the honor on a plaque. He did say afterward, however, that his "administration" was "the honestest administration this country ever had."

Related Tags

Presidents Government Burial Places Gravestones Graves

Community Contributors

Added By

thomasharper

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, Kerry Wolfe

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • Kerry Wolfe

Published

January 9, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rice_Atchison
  • http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/President_For_A_Day.htm
  • http://www.history.com/news/the-24-hour-president
Grave of David Rice Atchison
Greenlawn Cemetery
Plattsburg, Missouri
United States
39.557767, -94.446385
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Jesse James’ Grave

Kearney, Missouri

miles away

Watkins Woolen Mill

Kearney, Missouri

miles away

Far West Temple Site

Kingston, Missouri

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Missouri

Missouri

United States

Places 178
Stories 6

Nearby Places

Jesse James’ Grave

Kearney, Missouri

miles away

Watkins Woolen Mill

Kearney, Missouri

miles away

Far West Temple Site

Kingston, Missouri

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Missouri

Missouri

United States

Places 178
Stories 6

Related Places

  • Eston Hemings’s grave.

    Madison, Wisconsin

    Eston Hemings's Grave

    The final resting place of one of Thomas Jefferson's formerly enslaved sons.

  • Geneva, Illinois

    Easy Chair Grave

    This carved armchair marks the final resting place for two pals in the Chicago suburbs.

  • Three concrete slabs with small, destroyed remains of headstones sit behind a V-shaped tree opening.

    Taos, New Mexico

    The Three Brujas

    Three witches are said to be buried beneath these unmarked concrete graves.

  • Birmingham, England

    Nanette Stocker's Grave

    This 19th-century performer's gravestone identifies her as "the smallest woman ever in this Kingdom."

  • Charles F. Mills Grave Bell

    Thunderbolt, Georgia

    Charles F. Mills Grave Bell

    A 19th-century cemetery device to ensure that the prematurely buried would be "saved by the bell."

  • Paisley, Florida

    Jeremiah M. Brewer's Tombstone

    Deep in the Ocala National Forest, a lonesome 19th-century grave.

  • The actual tombstone of Billy the Kid

    Fort Sumner, New Mexico

    Grave of Billy the Kid

    The final resting place of the most famous outlaw in the Old West.

  • Tommy Taylor Grave

    Barnsley, England

    Tommy Taylor Grave

    In this small cemetery lies the grave of one of England's greatest football strikers, who died too soon.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.