00:00 During the 24 hours between the end of James Polk's presidency and the beginning of Zachary Taylor's, some believe that David Rice Atchison, a member of the United States Senate, was the President of the United States.

01:26 David Rice Atchison, a pro-slavery Democratic Senator from Missouri, is known for being mistakenly believed to have been the President of the United States for one day.

02:54 In the election of 1848, Zachary Taylor became the President of the United States, and on March 4th, 1849, the day everyone took office, David Rice Atchison was the President for a single day due to a technicality.

04:08 David Rice Atchison technically served as President of the United States from noon on March 4th until noon on March 5th, due to Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore delaying their oaths of office.

05:17 The argument that David Rice Atchison was President for a day does not hold water because while the Constitution does require the President to take the oath of office before executing their duties, they can still hold the position before taking the oath, as demonstrated by Lyndon Johnson becoming President after Kennedy's death before taking the oath of office.

06:37 The argument that David Rice Atchison was President for a day does not hold up because he never took the oath of office and there is no evidence to suggest that he was actually President.

07:55 If Rutherford B. Hayes took the oath of office privately on March 3rd before taking it publicly on March 5th, does that mean there was a day with two Presidents?