A Millionaire for a Day is a 1912 American silent comedy short film starring John R. Cumpson.

[1] The story is based on a real-life incident reported in newspapers across the United States in January 1912.

[2] A John Jay McDevitt of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, sold an accidental nomination for county treasurer for $2500 and traveled to New York City with an entourage (a doctor, a secretary, a valet and about 20 guests) on a special train, making speeches to appreciative audiences at stops along the way and arriving with only $72.40 left.

There he fulfilled his ambition of acting the way he believed a millionaire would, spending and tipping lavishly.

[3][4] Mechanic Fred Dudley goes to New York City and squanders his entire inheritance in a day.