Do you know who this is? Because I'd like to tell you who this is!
This is Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.
And here's why this guy is one of my heroes:
This is San Francisco, originally called Yerba Buena, in 1847. And this is literally all of it. Some farms, some piers, and a church that would eventually be called Mission Dolores. (Fun fact: first built in 1771, it remains the oldest standing structure in California. It's still an active Catholic church!)
So when gold was discovered in them thar hills in '49, it was sort of like when Fyre Festival descended on that one tiny island in the Bahamas; locals were in no way prepared to handle a sudden influx of young, single, money-chasing boneheads.
Have I set the scene? Are you picturing the crowded, muddy mess this place was when British-born South African immigrant Joshua Abraham Norton rolled into town?
In the prologue of his story he's a strangely normal person, just a regular-ass merchant from regular-ass family. His business tanked and he lost everything when he failed to corner the rice market (long story), and he disappeared for a couple years.
Depression funk? Alien abduction? 2-year-long absinthe binge that left him changed forever? We'll never know.
1859 he reappeared in the offices of the San Francisco Daily Herald dressed like this:
And ordered them to publish, in part, this:
"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 San Francisco, California, declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these United States."
They sure did, hypothetical reader! Whether it was a slow news day or they just thought it was funny, they did indeed publish the whole thing.
Pictured: clearly a man to be taken seriously.
For context, this is a deeply weird outfit he's rocking. His uniform was a mishmash of secondhand Confederate and Union army pieces, from all different times and regiments. He wore a beaverskin cap with a rose and a single peacock feather stuck in it, which he refused to explain.
"But what did he actually do?"
Reader, I am so glad you asked!
⚜️He became a socially important gadabout among San Francisco aristocracy, and frequently influenced their decisions.
⚜️His patronage could make or break a local business - and he absolutely knew it, and used that clout to boost what he called businesses of "upstanding morality".
⚜️He spoke out against slavery and racism his whole life.
⚜️He asserted that all colleges should be co-ed.
⚜️He ordered the dissolution of Congress, several times.
⚜️He vocally maintained that the growing population of non gender conforming San Franciscans deserved the same safety and freedom as everyone else - an especially wild take at the time. The groups he supported would eventually become the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a charity/protest/chaotic good organization who are still funded by the Norton Trust.
⚜️He wrote letters to world leaders, and they wrote back. King Kamehameha of Hawaii actually refused to recognize the US government; he would deal only with Emperor Norton.
⚜️He printed his own money, which was in no way legal tender! That local businesses accepted!
⚜️He was the inspiration for this guy!
⚜️He had two dogs, Bummer and Lazarus!
Even though he was a "bummer" himself (ie homeless), he was kind of adopted by the whole city. He had box seats at the opera. People put up historical plaques where he'd eaten or slept. There was merch.
(Sorry I know that this has become a long post, but I just love the way my hometown immediately and collectively decided "this delightful weirdo is never paying for his own drinks again")
Reader, I am so glad you asked!
His formal proclamations, which were dutifully printed over 20-odd years (very odd years), included decrees that:
📜Slavery should be illegal, obviously
📜There should be a suspension bridge built over the bay, and here's how to pay for it
📜All the major powers of the world should form a committee by which to make important decisions, some sort of united nations, if you will
Oh, and also, he was directly involved in stopping two riots that we know of!
First, when a runaway slave was being held in San Francisco, and a mob started gathering outside the jailhouse to - send him back south? Lynch him? It's not clear, but there was some Bad about to go down. Norton, with a group of other abolitionists, stood vigil at the jailhouse all night, reciting scripture and preaching about peace and brotherhood, and in the morning he issued an "extradition of asylum". Officials may have already been planning to let the guy leave the country, but public opinion gave them no choice.
And then once again, when the perennial cry went up that there weren't enough jobs because of immigrants (and not because of, y'know, the unstable market of a harbor boomtown that was built out of popsicle sticks). Asian populations started facing more and more hostility. Tensions came to a head one day in the laundry district, and a family of Chinese immigrants were hustled out onto the street and cornered by an angry mob. There was, once again, some Bad about to go down.
And Emperor Norton, by then at least sixty (and you know he must've been a haggard sixty), made his way to the front of the crowd and stood, alone, between the terrified family and the several dozen violently angry white dudes surrounding them.
The crowd slowly fell silent.
Norton bowed his head and, quietly but clearly, said the Lord's Prayer.
How much of his Whole Deal was delusion, and how much of it was performative? Did Norton really dissociate from reality, or did he just figure out that he lived in a world so absurd and unfair that the only way to win was to make up his own rules? Was he crazy like a fox? We'll never know.
But he was progressive and compassionate in a way that even real royalty could rarely get away with at the time. He was beloved by everyone around him, because he treated everyone around him with dignity. He had no income, and didn't need it to be welcomed everywhere. He lived out of cheap hotel rooms without even a second pair of boots to his name, but for decades he was the most influential individual in California. He remains a relevant and fascinating part of San Francisco culture.
Thank you for your service, Your Majesty.
