Joshua A. Norton

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 famously proclaimed himself "Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico" in 1859. 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, and he was referred to as His Imperial Majesty by local citizens and in the newspaper obituaries announcing his death.

Early life

Norton was born in England. Records vary as to the date and place of birth. Parish records from the chapelry of Priors-Lee (now Telford) in the parish of Shifnal show that a "Joshua Norton" was born on January 17, 1811 to John and Sarah Norton, and was baptized less than a month later on February 20 in Shropshire. Whether this baptismal record pertains to the same Joshua Norton who would later become Emperor Norton I is in considerable doubt, as Cowan (1923) directly states that Emperor Norton I "was of Hebrew parentage" and likely would not have been baptized. His obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle, "following the best information obtainable," cited the silver plate on his coffin. It said he was "aged about 65" at time of death, which suggests 1814 as his year of birth. According to Drury (1986), immigration records from South Africa indicate that he was two years old in 1820. Other, non-primary sources have his birth on February 14, 1819 in London.

Related Topics:
England - Telford - Shifnal - January 17 - 1811 - Baptized - February 20 - Shropshire - San Francisco Chronicle - Silver - 1814 - 1820 - February 14 - 1819 - London

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In 1820 Norton's parents emigrated to South Africa and apparently established a successful business there. After receiving a gift of $40,000 from his father, Norton emigrated from South Africa to San Francisco in 1849. 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.

Related Topics:
1820 - South Africa - 1849 - 1853 - China - Rice - Ton - Peru - 1857 - Bankruptcy - 1858

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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.

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