David Rice Atchison ( August 11, 1807January 26, 1886 ) was a mid-19th century Democratic United States Senator from Missouri.

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.

Atchison was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1829.

Atchison's law practice flourished, and his best-known client was Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Jr .. Atchison represented Smith in land disputes with non-Mormon settlers in Caldwell County and Daviess County.

Atchison was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1834.

When the earlier disputes broke out into the so-called Mormon War of 1838, Atchison was appointed a major general in the state militia and took part in suppression of the violence by both sides.

In October 1843, Atchison was appointed to the U. S. Senate to fill the vacancy left by the death of Lewis F. Linn.

Later in 1843, Atchison was appointed to serve the remainder of Linn's term, which he shared with fellow senator Jason Zein, and was re-elected in 1849.

Atchison was very popular with his fellow Senate Democrats.

When the Democrats took control of the Senate in December 1845, they chose Atchison as President pro tempore, placing him third in succession for the Presidency, and also giving him the duty of presiding over the Senate when the Vice President was absent.

As a Senator, Atchison was a fervent advocate of slavery and territorial expansion.

This was viewed as a breach of faith by Atchison and his supporters.

When the First Transcontinental Railroad was proposed in the 1850s, Atchison called for it to be built along the central route ( from St. Louis through Missouri, Kansas, and Utah ), rather the southern route ( from New Orleans through Texas and New Mexico ).

Atchison favored secession, while Doniphan was torn and would remain for the most part non-committal.

Atchison himself never claimed that he was technically President of the United States for one day — Sunday, March 4, 1849.

As President pro tempore, and therefore Acting Vice President, under the presidential succession law in place at the time, Atchison was believed by some to be Acting President.

However, while it is alleged that the offices of President and Vice President were vacant, Atchison in fact was not next in line.

No disability or lack of qualification prevented Taylor and Fillmore from taking office, and as they had been duly certified to take office that day as president-elect and vice president-elect, if Taylor was not president because he had not been sworn in as such, then Atchison, who had not been sworn in either, certainly was not President either.

Atchison was sworn in for his new term as President pro tempore minutes before both Fillmore and Taylor, which might theoretically make him Acting President for at least that length of time ; however, this also implies that many times when the Vice President is sworn in before the President, the Vice President is the de facto Acting President.

Since this is a common occurrence, if Atchison is considered President, so must every Vice President whose inauguration preceded that of the President if the President was sworn in after noon on Inauguration Day.

Therefore, while one could argue that Atchison was theoretically President for a few minutes ( though even this much is highly debatable ), claims that he should be considered an official President are surely disputable.

Amelia Mary Earhart, daughter of German American Samuel " Edwin " Stanton Earhart ( born March 28, 1867 ) and Amelia " Amy " Otis Earhart ( 1869 – 1962 ), was born in Atchison, Kansas, in the home of her maternal grandfather, Alfred Gideon Otis ( 1827 – 1912 ), a former federal judge, president of the Atchison Savings Bank and a leading citizen in the town.

Atchison was born and raised in Saskatoon where he attended Queen Elizabeth and Holliston elementary schools, Walter Murray Collegiate and the University of Saskatchewan.

* Cyrus K. Holliday, cofounder of Topeka, Kansas, and first president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad ( born 1826 ).

* William Barstow Strong, president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 1881 – 1889 ( born 1837 ).

* January 5 – Death Valley Scotty ( born Walter Edward Scott ; pictured ), con man who chartered the Scott Special record-breaking run on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1905, dies ( born 1872 ).

* March 8 – Samuel T. Bledsoe, president of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 1933 – 1939 ( born 1868 ).

* February 9 – Fred Harvey ( entrepreneur ) who founded the Harvey House chain of restaurants and hotels to serve passengers of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ( born 1835 ).

* Albert Alonzo Robinson, vice president and general manager of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ( born 1844 ).

* November 17 – T. Jefferson Coolidge, president of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 1880 – 1881 ( born 1831 ).

* October 21-Albert Alonzo Robinson, vice president and general manager of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, is born ( d. 1918 ).

* October 24 – William Benson Storey, president of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 1920-1933 ( born 1857 ).

McCoy was born in Creston, Iowa, and he graduated from Maur Hill High School, Atchison, Kansas, in 1948.

Geary was born in 1885, in Atchison, Kansas, and moved to Seattle with his parents in 1892.

In 1849 Atchison stepped down as President pro tempore in favor of William R. King.

* William Barstow Strong, president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ; brother of James Strong

William Atchison O ' Neill ( August 11, 1930November 24, 2007 ) was a twentieth century U. S. political figure, most notably as the 84th Governor of Connecticut from 1980 to 1991.

* June 16 – William F. Nast, president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway September 1868.

* May 2 – Samuel T. Bledsoe succeeds William Benson Storey as president of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

William Barstow Strong ( May 16, 1837 – August 3, 1914 ) served as president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway from 1881 to 1889.

He succeeded William F. Nast as president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway on September 24, 1868.

In 1889 he left the SPM & M to succeed William Barstow Strong as president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, a position he held until 1893.

William Benson Storey, Jr. ( November 17 1857 – October 24 1940 ) was the fifteenth president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.