President for a Day

The 12th President of the United States was Zachary Taylor. Maybe he should be noted as the 13th President...

Inaguration day use to be on Sundays. In fact, the inaguration was to take place at noon Sunday, March 4, 1849. However, the President Elect did not want to take the oath on a Sunday. He wanted to wait for Monday. There was problem with his plan. President James K. Polk.

The 11th President, Polk, was done. He was not sticking around for another day. So, the line of sucession left David Rice Atchison who was the president pro tempore of the Senate as the next man to be President. So, for one day in our history Atchison sat behind the desk and 'ran' the country in the absence of Polk or Taylor.

Here is what Atchison said about his one day of Presidental power: "it was the most honest adminsitration this country ever had."