David Rice Atchison | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office December 20, 1852 – December 4, 1854 | |
| Preceded by | William R. King |
| Succeeded by | Lewis Cass |
| In office August 8, 1846 – December 2, 1849 | |
| Preceded by | Ambrose Hundley Sevier (acting) |
| Succeeded by | William R. King |
| United States Senator from Missouri | |
| In office October 14, 1843 – March 3, 1855 | |
| Preceded by | Lewis F. Linn |
| Succeeded by | James S. Green |
| Member of the Missouri House of Representatives | |
| In office 1834–1841 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 11, 1807 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | January 26, 1886 (aged 78) Gower, Missouri, U.S. |
| Resting place | Greenlawn Cemetery, Plattsburg, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Transylvania University |
| Profession |
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| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch/service |  Missouri Volunteer Militia Missouri State Guard |
| Years of service | 1838 (MVM) 1861–1862 (MSG) |
| Rank |  Major-General (MVM) Brigadier-General (MSG) |
| Battles/wars | Missouri Mormon War |
David Rice Atchison (August 11, 1807 – January 26, 1886) was a mid-19th-century Democratic[1] United States Senator from Missouri.[1] He served as president pro tempore of the United States Senate for six years.[2] Atchison served as a major general in the Missouri State Militia in 1838 during Missouri's Mormon War and as a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War under Major General Sterling Price in the Missouri Home Guard. Some of Atchison's associates claimed that for 24 hours—Sunday, March 4, 1849, through noon on Monday—he may have been acting president of the United States. This belief, however, is dismissed by most scholars.[2][3]
Atchison, owner of many slaves and a plantation, was a prominent pro-slavery activist and Border Ruffian leader, deeply involved with violence against abolitionists and other free-staters during the "Bleeding Kansas" events that preceded admission of the state to the Union.[4][5][6][7]
- ^ a b "David Rice Atchison Biography". Who2.com. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ^ a b "1801: President for a Day – March 4, 1849". United States Senate. May 29, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ^ Christopher Klein (February 18, 2013). "The 24-Hour President". The History Channel. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ McPherson, James M., Battle Cry of Freedom, Penguin Books, 1990, ISBN 978-0-14-012518-4 pp. 145–148
- ^ Stampp, Kenneth, America in 1857: a nation on the brink, Oxford University Press US, 1992, ISBN 0-19-507481-5, p. 145
- ^ Grimsted, David, American Mobbing, 1828–1861: Toward Civil War, Oxford University Press US, 2003, ISBN 0-19-517281-7, p. 256
- ^ Freehling, William W., The Road to Disunion: Secessionists triumphant, 1854–1861, Oxford University Press US, 2007, ISBN 0-19-505815-1, pp. 72–73