The United States has kind of a reputation for not doing the whole royalty thing: we get that it’s kind of baked into a lot of other countries’ cultures, and if it works for you, great, more power to you. Here in America, we decided early on not to put executive power in the hands of someone with a crown on their head, but one man had the vision and the courage to not only advocate for a return to royal rule, but took it a step further and declared himself the ruler of this new monarchy, and that man was Norton I: Emperor of the United States.
Now, you may never have heard of Emperor Norton, and you might also not recall learning about him in history class. Well, there’s a good reason for that: the guy was a lunatic who made the whole thing up. That part probably isn’t surprising, but let’s see how we got to the point where this guy fashioned himself the imperial ruler of everything from sea to shining sea.
Joshua Abraham Norton was born in England sometime in or around 1818 (records are a bit scarce), and not much is known about his life prior to his arrival in the US other than the fact that he left England early and mostly grew up in South Africa. He came to the United states in 1846 and eventually wound up in San Francisco a few years later, becoming a very successful commodities trader and respected member of the community.
Unfortunately, some bad investments sunk him, and while he subsequently announced that he would run for Congress, his name never actually appeared on the ballot in 1859. The exact reason for this is unclear, but by this time, he had become extremely disillusioned with what he felt were inherent failures in the American system, and it was at that time that he suddenly up and disappeared for nine months.
There is no record of where he went or what he was doing during those nine months, but when he finally returned, he was…well, a bit of a changed man.
Gone were the fancy suit and neatly manicured 1800s mustache, and instead there stood a man in a Civil War uniform, with a big grizzled beard, and a proclamation that he delivered to the local newspaper and read as follows:
At the peremptory 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 past nine years and ten months of San Francisco, California, declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these U. S., and in virtue of the authority thereby in me vested do hereby order and direct the representatives of the different States of the Union to assemble in Musical Hall of this city, on the 1st day of February next, then and there to make such alterations in the existing laws of the Union as may ameliorate the evils under which the country is laboring, and thereby cause confidence to exist, both at home and abroad, in our stability and integrity.
Norton I
Emperor of the United States
September 17, 1859
By all appearances, the guy had totally lost his mind. Whether that was true or this guy was playing everyone as part of some kind of master plan was known only to him, but the guy lived the gimmick. He began issuing proclamations dissolving Congress, then ordering the army to forcibly disband Congress when his demands were not responded to, he ordered the dismantling of the two-party political system, and even ordered the United States reorganized into a traditional monarchy.
It wasn’t just politics: he also ordered both the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches to recognize him as Emperor. Another royal proclamation declared that referring to San Francisco as “Frisco” would be a misdemeanor with a $25 fine attached as punishment.
Norton wasn’t the kind of Emperor who lived in an ivory tower, though: he made a point of being as visible as possible during his reign. He showed up at all major political events, he walked the streets and made sure the police were doing their jobs properly, and and generally became enough of a pain in the ass to the legitimate authorities that they had him arrested and thrown in a mental institution in 1867.
As insane as the guy’s behavior was by this point, the public had grown fond enough of him that a huge outcry and backlash from the public led to the police chief relenting and ordering Norton’s release. As a token of good faith, Norton granted the police chief a pardon for the treason he had committed against his lord.
Emperor Norton even extended his grace beyond the boundaries of the United States, declaring himself Protector of Mexico as well after Napoleon III invaded and installed a puppet ruler. Norton later abdicated that title, however, as he declared that “It is impossible to protect such an unsettled nation.” He sent a letter to Queen Victoria proposing marriage as a way of strengthening the bond between the two countries, but her response seems to have gotten lost in the mail.
Unfortunately, the end for Emperor Norton came in January of 1880, when he collapsed and died on a street corner on his way to a debate at the California Academy of Sciences. His passing made headlines in all the San Francisco-area newspapers, and the 600 block of Commercial Street was named Emperor Norton Place in his honor.
With no heirs, the short-lived American monarchy died with Emperor Norton, but as we can see, the legend lives on.