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Joshua Abraham Norton (February 4, 1818 - January 8, 1880) declared himself "Norton I, Emperor of the United States" in 1859. He later added the title "Protector of Mexico." Instead of being persecuted for his audacious claims, he was celebrated by the citizens of his home city of San Francisco, California, and memorialized in the literature of prominent authors.
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Joshua Norton's parents were English Jews who first left England to move to South Africa in 1820 as part of a government colonization scheme. They were part of a group that came to be known as the "1820 Settlers." Norton's birthdate is in some dispute, but February 4, 1818, is the best determination based on ship records and the celebration of his birthday in San Francisco.
Norton emigrated to the United States somewhere around the 1849 Gold Rush in California. He entered the real estate market in San Francisco, and by 1852 he was counted as one of the wealthy, respected citizens of the city.
In December 1852, China responded to a famine by placing a ban on export of rice to other countries. It caused the price of rice in San Francisco to skyrocket. After hearing of a ship returning to California from Peru carrying 200,000 lbs. of rice, Joshua Norton attempted to corner the rice market. Shortly after he purchased the entire shipment, several other ships from Peru arrived filled with rice and the prices plummeted. Four years of litigation followed until the Supreme Court of California eventually ruled against Norton. He filed for bankruptcy in 1858.
Joshua Norton disappeared for a year or so after his bankruptcy declaration. When he returned to the public spotlight, many believed he lost not only his wealth but his mind, too. On September 17, 1859, he distributed letters to newspapers around the city of San Francisco declaring himself Emperor Norton I of the United States. The "San Francisco Bulletin" indulged his claims and printed the statement:
"At the peremptory request and desire of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton, formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now for the last 9 years and 10 months past of S. F., Cal., declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these U. S.; and in virtue of the authority thereby in me vested, do hereby order and direct the representatives of the different States of the Union to assemble in Musical Hall, of this city, on the 1st day of Feb. next, then and there to make such alterations in the existing laws of the Union as may ameliorate the evils under which the country is laboring, and thereby cause confidence to exist, both at home and abroad, in our stability and integrity."
Emperor Norton's multiple decrees about the dissolution of the U.S. Congress, the country itself, and abolishment of the two main political parties were ignored by the federal government and the generals leading the U.S. Army. However, he was embraced by the citizens of San Francisco. He spent most of his days walking the city's streets in a blue uniform with gold epaulets that was given to him by the U.S. Army officers based at the Presidio in San Francisco. He also wore a hat festooned with a peacock feather. He inspected the condition of roads, sidewalks, and other public property. On many occasions, he spoke on a wide range of philosophical topics. Two dogs, named Bummer and Lazarus, that reportedly accompanied his touring of the city became celebrities as well. Emperor Norton added "Protector of Mexico" to his title after the French invaded Mexico in 1861.
In 1867, a policeman arrested Joshua Norton to commit him to treatment for a mental disorder. Local citizens and newspapers expressed extreme outrage. The San Francisco police chief Patrick Crowley ordered Norton released and issued a formal apology from the police force. The emperor granted a pardon to the policeman who arrested him.
Although he remained impoverished, Norton frequently ate for free in the city's best restaurants. Seats were reserved for him at the openings of plays and concerts. He issued his own currency to pay his debts, and the notes were accepted in San Francisco as local currency. Photos of the emperor in his regal costume were sold to tourists, and Emperor Norton dolls were manufactured, too. In turn, he demonstrated his love for the city by declaring that using the word "Frisco" to refer to the city was a high misdemeanor punishable by a $25 fine.
Of course, Joshua Norton did not yield any actual power to enforce these acts, so none were carried out.
On January 8, 1880, Joshua Norton collapsed on the corner of California and Dupont Streets. The latter is now named Grant Avenue. He was on his way to attend a lecture at the California Academy of Sciences. Police immediately sent for a carriage to take him to the City Receiving Hospital. However, he died before a carriage could arrive.
A search of Norton's boarding house room after his death confirmed that he was living in poverty. He had approximately five dollars on his person when he collapsed and a gold sovereign worth approximately $2.50 was found in his room. Among his personal items were a collection of walking sticks, multiple hats and caps, and letters written to Queen Victoria of England.
The first funeral arrangements planned to bury Emperor Norton I in a pauper's coffin. However, the Pacific Club, a San Francisco businessman's association, elected to pay for a rosewood casket befitting a dignified gentleman. The funeral procession on January 10, 1880, was attended by as many as 30,000 of San Francisco's 230,000 residents. The procession itself was two miles long. Norton was buried in the Masonic Cemetery. In 1934, his casket was transferred, along with all other graves in the city, to Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma, California. Approximately 60,000 people attended the new internment. Flags across the city flew at half mast and the inscription on the new tombstone read, "Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico."
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