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.

Waning years

During the latter years of Norton's reign, he was the subject of considerable rumor and speculation. One popular story suggested that he was actually the son of Emperor Louis Napoleon and that his claims of coming from South Africa were simply a ruse to prevent persecution. (To have been an illegitimate son of Louis Napoleon, he would have had to have been conceived when the French Emperor was only three; Louis Napoleon's actual son, Napoleon Eugene, Prince Imperial, died fighting in the Boer War in 1879.) Another popular story suggested that the emperor was planning to marry Queen Victoria. While this is completely without foundation, the emperor did actually correspond with the queen on several occasions and he is reported to have met the real Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (Cowan 1923). A final rumor was that Norton was in fact supremely wealthy, and only affected poverty due to miserly inclinations.

Related Topics:
Louis Napoleon - South Africa - Napoleon Eugene, Prince Imperial - Boer War - 1879 - Queen Victoria - Pedro II of Brazil

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In addition to the rumors, a number of "decrees" that were probably fraudulent were submitted and duly printed in the newspapers, and there is suspicion that in at least a few cases, the editors of the newspapers themselves drafted fictitious edicts to suit their own agendas. The Museum of the City of San Francisco maintains a listing of all the decrees it believes to be genuine http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/norton.html.

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On the evening of January 8, 1880, Joshua Norton collapsed on the corner of California Street and Dupont Street (now Grant Avenue) while on his way to a lecture at the Academy of Sciences. His collapse was immediately noticed by another citizen who raised the alarm, and, according to one newspaper, "the police officer on the beat hastened for a carriage to convey him to the City Receiving Hospital" http://www.notfrisco.com/colmatales/norton/nobit.html. Norton died before the carriage could arrive.

Related Topics:
January 8 - 1880

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The following day the San Francisco Chronicle published his obituary on its front page under the headline "Le Roi est Mort" ("the King is Dead"). In a tone tinged with sadness, the article respectfully reported that, "On the reeking pavement, in the darkness of a moonless night under the dripping rain..., Norton I, by the grace of God, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, departed this life". The Morning Call, another leading San Francisco newspaper, published a front-page article using an almost identical sentence as a headline: "Norton the First, by the grace of God Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico, departed this life."

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Contrary to the rumors, it quickly became evident that Norton had died in complete poverty, and his entire estate amounted to no more than a few dollars. Five or six dollars in small change had been found on his person, and a search of his room at the boarding house on Commercial Street turned up only a single sovereign worth around $2.50, his collection of walking sticks, his rather battered sabre, his correspondence with Queen Victoria and 1,098,235 shares of stock in a worthless gold mine.

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When the initial funeral arrangements were made a pauper's coffin of simple redwood had been procured for the departed: however the members of the Pacific Club (a San Franciscan businessmen's association) deemed this to be completely unacceptable. After establishing a funeral fund, the members rapidly raised a sufficient amount to purchase a handsome rosewood casket and arrange a suitably dignified farewell. Reports indicated that respects were paid "... by all classes from capitalists to the pauper, the clergyman to the pickpocket, well-dressed ladies and those whose garb and bearing hinted of the social outcast."

Related Topics:
Coffin - Redwood - Rosewood - Casket

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Norton's funeral was a solemn, mournful and large affair. Some accounts report that as many as 30,000 people lined the streets to pay homage, and that the funeral cortege was two miles long. He was buried at the Masonic Cemetery, at the expense of the City of San Francisco. The day after his funeral, January 11, 1880, the San Francisco skies were blackened with a total solar eclipse.

Related Topics:
Masonic - January 11 - 1880 - Solar eclipse

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In 1934, Norton's remains were transferred, again at the expense of the City of San Francisco, to a gravesite of moderate splendor at Woodlawn Cemetery, in Colma. His story faded somewhat after his death, and his resting place was marked by a small worn stone; however, his story became more popular during the 1960s and his present gravestone refers to him as "Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico" (Gorman 1998). Political activist and drag queen José Sarria declared herself Her Royal Majesty, Empress One of San Francisco, Jose I, the Widow Norton and holds an annual memorial celebration, complete with continental breakfast, for her long-dead "husband" that helped to repopularize his legend and prompted Woodlawn Cemetery to provide a more substantial gravestone at their own expense (Gorman 1998).

Related Topics:
1934 - Colma - Gravestone - José Sarria

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In January 1980, numerous ceremonies and memorials were conducted in San Francisco to honor the 100th anniversary of the passing of the one and only "Emperor of the United States."

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