Emperor Norton
Joshua Abraham Norton
Joshua Abraham Norton (a.k.a. Norton I)
Born
c. 1819
England[1]
Died
January 8, 1880
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Joshua Abraham Norton (c. 1819[2] – Janu-
ary 8, 1880), the self-proclaimed His Imperial
Majesty Emperor Norton I, was a celeb-
rated citizen of San Francisco, California,
who in 1859 proclaimed himself "Emperor of
these United States"[3] and "Protector of
Mexico."[4] Born in London, Norton spent
most of his early life in South Africa. He
emigrated to San Francisco in 1849 after re-
ceiving a bequest of $40,000 from his fath-
er’s estate. Norton initially made a living as a
businessman, but he lost his fortune invest-
ing in Peruvian rice.[5]
After losing a lawsuit in which he tried to
void his rice contract, Norton left San Fran-
cisco. He returned a few years later, appar-
ently mentally unbalanced, claiming to be the
emperor of the United States.[6] Although he
had no political power, and his influence ex-
tended only so far as he was humored by
those around him, he was treated deferen-
tially in San Francisco, and currency issued
in his name was honored in the establish-
ments he frequented.
Though he was considered insane, or at
least highly eccentric,[7] the citizens of San
Francisco celebrated his regal presence and
his proclamations, most famously, his "order"
that the United States Congress be dissolved
by force (which Congress and the U.S. Army
ignored) and his numerous decrees calling
for a bridge and a tunnel to be built across
San Francisco Bay.[8] On January 8, 1880,
Norton collapsed at a street corner, and died
before he could be given medical treatment.
The following day, nearly 30,000 people
packed the streets of San Francisco to pay
homage to Norton.[9] Norton’s legacy has
been immortalized in the literature of writers
Mark Twain and Robert Louis Stevenson,
who based characters on him. In December
2004, a resolution was made to name the San
Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge in honor of
Norton, but the idea did not progress fur-
ther.[10]
Early lif