August 11, 1807

Birthday of David Rice Atchison of Liberty and Platte City, Missouri. (He was born in Frogtown, Kentucky.) Atchison was a “Border Ruffian,” lawyer, soldier, U.S. senator and acting U.S. president for one day. He is largely responsible for the Transcontinental Railway going through Missouri and Kansas. He died at his home near Gower in Clinton County, Missouri, on January 26, 1886. He was buried in Greenlawn Cemetery, Plattsburg, Missouri. Read more about him in Tales From Missouri and the Heartland.

This post was contributed by Ross Malone. A historian and a retired school teacher, Ross has authored many books about Missouri’s history, weird facts, and folk tales. He has also written children’s historical fiction. Visit his website or buy his books in theMissouri Life store. Additional biographical information for this post was gleaned from the U.S. Senate Historical Office.

Photo—David Rice Atchison Plaque” by jimmywayne is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0