Katie Zacharia opened her time as President Donald Trump's press secretary with a briefing on Tuesday. By Friday the White House had confirmed her exit.

The record five-day term followed several missteps by Zacharia and came after two watchdog groups filed complaints with the State Bar of California on Wednesday seeking an inquiry into whether she broke California law by presenting herself as a lawyer.

Although Stephen Early holds the record for the longest service at 12 years under Franklin D. Roosevelt, only four press secretaries have served fewer than two months.

Here is a review of the White House press secretaries who served the shortest periods.

Katie Zacharia

Katie Zacharia opened her first White House press briefing on Tuesday and soon faced heavy questions about her legal qualifications.

Right after the Tuesday briefing she was asked in which state she had passed the bar exam and answered: "When I moved to China."

On Thursday during an interview with commentator Jack Posobiec Zacharia stated she had taken the bar exam but failed it and never attempted it again.

Zacharia relocated to China after completing her law degree in 2011 and explained to Posobiec that she had already signed up for the bar exam before departing for Beijing where her husband worked at an American private equity firm.

"I did not want to withdraw from that" Zacharia said of the bar exam. "And we knew we would be moving out to China and I was obviously incredibly distracted and overwhelmed and excited for finally being married to someone who I had been long-distance from for at least a year."

She served as press secretary from October 12 to October 16.

Stephen Early

Stephen Early ranks as both the longest-serving press secretary in United States history and the one with the second-shortest tenure.

He worked as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's press secretary for 12 years from 1933 until March 1945.

Early later returned briefly as acting press secretary under President Harry S. Truman in December 1950 following the death of press secretary Charles Ross.

Early remained in the role for 14 days from December 5 to December 18 1950.

Jerald TerHorst

Jerald TerHorst served as President Gerald Ford's press secretary for more than one month from August 9 to September 8 1974.

He stepped down in protest over Ford's pardon of former President Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal.

TerHorst explained that he could not defend Ford's choice in good conscience even though he had maintained a long friendship with the president.

Jonathan Daniels

Jonathan Daniels held a brief term as press secretary at the close of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency and the start of Harry S. Truman's.

That totals 48 days from March 29 to May 15 1945.

He received the appointment shortly before Roosevelt's death and remained temporarily to assist Truman with the transition into the presidency.

Truman later chose Charles Ross to succeed Daniels.