Joshua Abraham Norton (ca. 1815 – January 8, 1880), also known as His Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, was a celebrated citizen of San Francisco who proclaimed himself "Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico" in 1859. Some sources list his date of birth as February 14, 1819. Although he had no political power, and his influence extended only so far as he was humored by those around him, he was treated deferentially in San Francisco, and currency issued in his name was honored in the establishments he frequented. Norton also corresponded with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and he was referred to as His Imperial Majesty by local citizens and in the newspaper obituaries announcing his death.
Though he was generally considered insane, or at least highly eccentric, the citizens of San Francisco (and the world at large) in the mid-to-late 19th century celebrated his presence, his humor, and his deeds—among the most notorious being his "order" that the Congress of the United States be dissolved by force, and his numerous decrees calling for a bridge to be built across San Francisco Bay. The King in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is reportedly modeled after him.
He is considered a saint by the followers of Discordianism and is referenced repeatedly in the seminal work of the religion, the Principia Discordia.
Early life
Norton was born in England. Records vary as to the date and place of birth. His obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle, "following the best information obtainable," cited the silver plate on his coffin which said he was "aged about 65." This suggests 1814 as his year of birth. Other, non-primary sources have his birth on February 14, 1819 in London. According to Drury (1986), immigration records indicate that he was two years old in 1820 when his parents emigrated to South Africa. Southern African genealogies suggest that his father was John Norton (d. August 1848) and his mother was Sarah Norden. Sarah was the daughter of Abraham Norden and niece of Benjamin Norden, a successful Jewish merchant, who displayed his eccentric side by frequently suing family members. This is supported by Cowan (1923) who stated that Emperor Norton I "was of Hebrew [Jewish] parentage."
Norton emigrated from South Africa to San Francisco in 1849 after receiving a gift of $40,000 from his father (possibly his inheritance after his father's death). He accumulated a fortune of $250,000 by 1853 (Cowan 1923). He enjoyed some highly impressive initial success in the real estate market when China, facing a severe famine, placed a ban on the export of rice. The price of rice in San Francisco skyrocketed from 4¢ per pound to 36¢ per pound (9¢/kg to 79¢/kg). When Norton heard that a ship holding 200,000 pounds (100 tons) of rice was coming from Peru, he bought all the rice, hoping to corner the rice market. Unfortunately, shipload after shipload of rice came from Peru, and the price of rice plummeted. There was extensive litigation over the incident amongst Norton and his financial partners between 1853 and 1857. Although resulting in a victory for Norton in the lower courts, the cases eventually resulted in a defeat for Norton in the Supreme Court (Cowan 1923). Norton declared bankruptcy in 1858. He then left the city for a few years, and shortly after returning announced his title to the offices of the Bulletin.
There are no known documents noting an eccentric personality or unusual behavior of Norton prior to the loss of his fortune, so it is not known whether his pronounced eccentricity was a permanent aspect of his psychology, or arose as a result of the stressful financial events of the 1850s. Nonetheless, after his sudden loss of financial stability, Norton seemed to become (in the absence of a proper diagnosis) somewhat "odd," and began exhibiting delusions of grandeur, but it is entirely likely that all his declarations and behavior were the result of successful creative response to the pressure of poverty.
Self-proclamation
Having become fully disgruntled with the inadequacies of the political structure and state and federal governments of the United States, Norton took matters into his own hands on September 17, 1859, when, in letters to the various newspapers of the area, he summarily proclaimed himself "Emperor of These United States":
At the pre-emptory request 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 nine years and ten months past of San Francisco, California, declare and proclaim myself the Emperor of These United States.
He would, on occasion, add "Protector of Mexico" to this title. Thus commenced his unprecedented, whimsical, and almost entirely inconsequential 21-year "reign" over America.
Decrees
In accordance with his self-appointed role of emperor, Norton issued numerous decrees on matters of state. Deeming that he had assumed power, he saw no further need for a legislature, and on October 12, 1859, he issued a decree that formally "dissolved" the United States Congress. It is perhaps not coincidental that this was the 90th anniversary of the death of Ester Loti Abbott, who under the pseudonym Eristotle was also declared a Discordian saint. Norton also observed that
"…fraud and corruption prevent a fair and proper expression of the public voice; that open violation of the laws are constantly occurring, caused by mobs, parties, factions and undue influence of political sects; that the citizen has not that protection of person and property which he is entitled."
As a result, the Emperor ordered that "all interested parties" gather at Platt's Music Hall in San Francisco in February 1860 so as to "remedy the evil complained of."
In another imperial "decree" of January 1860, Emperor Norton I summoned the army to depose the elected officials of Congress:
- WHEREAS, a body of men calling themselves the National Congress are now in session in Washington City, in violation of our Imperial edict of the 12th of October last, declaring the said Congress abolished;
- WHEREAS, it is necessary for the repose of our Empire that the said decree should be strictly complied with;
- NOW, THEREFORE, we do hereby Order and Direct Major-General Scott, the Command-in-Chief of our Armies, immediately upon receipt of this, our Decree, to proceed with a suitable force and clear the Halls of Congress.
Norton's "orders" had no effect on the army, and the Congress likewise continued in its activities unperturbed. Norton issued further "decrees" in 1860 that purported to dissolve the republic and to forbid the assembly of any members of the Congress. These, like all of Norton's decrees, passed unnoticed by the government in Washington, and by the nation at large. Norton's battle against the elected leaders of America was to persist throughout his "reign," though it appears that Norton eventually, if somewhat grudgingly, accepted that Congress would continue to exist without his permission.
His attempts to overthrow the elected government of America by force having been frustrated, Norton turned his attention and his proclamations to other matters, both political and social. On August 12, 1869, "being desirous of allaying the dissensions of party strife now existing within our realm," he "abolished" both the United States Democratic and Republican parties. On another occasion, the failure to refer to his adopted home city with appropriate respect was the subject of a particularly stern edict in 1872:
Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word "Frisco," which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of a High Misdemeanor, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars.
While it is unknown if he intended it as a formal decree, Norton called Minnie Rae, a preteen prostitute who worked in the city, "the little countess." She apparently credited his pronouncement with saving her life in her "autobiography" (it is believed the book, which is now lost, was actually written by a journalist who interviewed her between 1871 to 1872).
After examining a number of his "Imperial Edicts," it is tempting to conjecture on the mental condition of America's only sovereign monarch. Unfortunately, diagnosing the precise psychological condition of Norton is an impossibility, due to the anecdotal nature of all the documents that relate his behavior. It has been suggested that he may have been schizophrenic, as "delusions of grandeur" is a symptom frequently associated with that condition. However, it is also possible that he suffered from some other mental illness, or even that he was sane.
For all of his quirks and regardless of the precise nature of his psychological condition, it cannot be denied that Norton was, on some occasions, a visionary, and a number of his "Imperial Decrees" exhibited a profound wisdom. Among his many edicts were instructions to form a League of Nations, and he explicitly forbade any form of discord or conflict between religions or their sects. The Emperor also saw fit on a number of occasions to decree the construction of a suspension bridge connecting Oakland and San Francisco, his later decrees becoming increasingly irritated at the lack of prompt obedience being exhibited by the authorities:
- WHEREAS, we issued our decree ordering the citizens of San Francisco and Oakland to appropriate funds for the survey of a suspension bridge from Oakland Point via Yerba Buena Island|Goat Island; also for a tunnel; and to ascertain which is the best project; and whereas the said citizens have hitherto neglected to notice our said decree; and whereas we are determined our authority shall be fully respected; now, therefore, we do hereby command the arrest by the army of both the Boards of City Fathers if they persist in neglecting our decrees.
- Given under our royal hand and seal at San Francisco, this 17th day of September, 1872.
This decree, unlike most, concerned events that eventually came to pass. Construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge began in 1933 and was completed in 1936. BART's Transbay Tube was completed in 1969 and opened in 1972.