By the imperative demand of the great majority of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton, formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now, for the past 9 years and 10 months, of S.F., Feces., do declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these United States, and being thus invested with the power vested in me, do hereby order and enjoin the representatives of the various States to assemble in the Music Hall of the city on the 1st day of February, then forthwith to make such improvements in the existing laws as shall remove all evil from the country, and thus insure unshakable faith in the existence of stability and integrity, both within the country and abroad. Norton I, Emperor of the United States.
Apart from the San Francisco Bulletin, which published the appeal as a joke, no one agreed to print it.
Thus began the story of the Emperor of the United States.
Of course, he had no rights to the title.
Joshua Abraham Norton was once a fairly successful entrepreneur who eventually got burned selling Peruvian rice.
Apparently, after such a crushing failure, he lost his mind somewhat and began to consider himself the Emperor of the United States. (Or Joshua was simply the greatest troll of his time.)
For whatever reason, the eccentric “emperor” began to actively act. So he soon became known throughout San Francisco. Now his decrees began to be published regularly, amusing readers.
First, he announced the dissolution of Congress:
We see that universal https://bradforddisabilitysports.co.uk/ suffrage, which now exists in the Union, is being violated; that fraud and corruption interfere with the fair and adequate expression of public opinion; that the mafia, parties, factions and excessive influence of political sects cause constant open violation of laws; that the citizen does not receive that protection of person and property to which he is entitled as a taxpayer – whereupon we hereby abolish Congress.
Then a whole series of other statements rained down.
Norton I appointed himself Protector of Mexico, dissolved the California Supreme Court, fired Virginia Governor Henry Wise for executing John Brown (one of the first white fighters for the rights of blacks), abolished the Democratic and Republican parties, ordered the construction of a bridge from Oakland to Goat Island (64 years later the Yerba Buena Bridge was built there), created a union of states solving international problems (same as the League of Nations or the UN) and ordered a bunch of fines for naming San Francisco with the offensive abbreviation "Frisco".
Naturally, no one followed his orders. Although many even regretted it: some of the ideas were too sensible.
With the growing popularity of Norton I, they became increasingly recognized. Which was simple enough.
The emperor alternately wore a military uniform of either gray or blue, demonstrating that he did not take any side in the war between the North and South. His image was complemented by a hat with an ostrich feather, a fake wooden saber and a cane.
In this form, he often rode through the streets of the city and handed out titles of nobility to passers-by for good deeds. (The descendants of those people are still proud of their “noble” titles.)
At some point, during another walk, he was arrested by a policeman with the aim of sending the US Emperor to a mental hospital. The lawyer considered that a person who calls himself such a title without any reason could be a dangerous psychopath.
A couple of days later, a rally gathered near the hospital demanding the release of the emperor.
Joshua was released personally by the judge, the chief of police and the mayor of the city. They obliged all the police of the entire city to greet Norton I every time, saluting him.
Despite his popularity, Joshua Abraham lived in a tiny room, which contained only the essentials: a bed, a washbasin and a table. But at the same time he didn’t need anything.
Since goods with the image of the US Emperor were quickly sold out, and his appearance automatically increased the polarity of the establishment (due to the sign “Visited by His Majesty Emperor Norton the First”), he could safely order the most expensive dishes in restaurants (the Emperor was picky about food) and take the goods he liked in stores completely free of charge. The city administration paid for housing. He was also allowed not to pay for using public transport.
If he needed money, Joshua sold his own banknotes with his image to tourists (they were later resold for much larger sums).
He was loved by the people of San Francisco and was highly respected among them.
For example, when a roaring crowd came to destroy Chinatown with the connivance of the police, only Norton dared to stand in their way. Joshua blocked their way, got down on one knee and began to pray, leaning on a wooden saber, looking straight at the armed townspeople.
The crowd froze in front of him, stood for a short time and went home.
This is how he became known far beyond San Francisco.
In 1876, the Emperor of Brazil (who was real) came to the United States on an official visit and demanded that he be introduced to Norton I himself. They didn’t dare refuse him and arranged an hour-long closed audience with Joshua Abraham.
What exactly the two emperors talked about is unknown.
This story could not hide from the eyes of the city’s theatergoers. Even during his lifetime, performances were staged based on the achievements of the US Emperor. During these performances, seats were always reserved for Norton and his two dogs, whom he picked up on the street and walked out.
Emperor Norton I of the United States died on January 8, 1880, on his way to a meeting of the San Francisco Academy of Sciences.
10 thousand people came to his funeral.
Oddly enough, not a single feature film has been made about him yet.
But one of the best issues of the Sandman comic was published about him. The last page of the issue with the conversation between the US Emperor and Death will be the best ending to this post.
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