Emperor Norton

Emperor Norton (1818-1880) was a resident of San Francisco and self proclaimed Emperor of the United States and later on was the Protector of Mexico. Born in England in 1818, Norton would spend most of his early years in South Africa. He would then move to San Francisco in late 1849. Norton then became a trader and real estate speculator, and was also one of the wealthier residents in the city. However, he became destitute when he attempted to corner the rice market. Soon after, Norton decided to proclaim himself Emperor of the United States. He issued various edicts which included dissolving the US Congress, building a bridge in San Francisco, and creating a “League of Nations”. Soon, people treated Emperor Norton as if he were an actual emperor. They would formally greet him, accept his own imperial currency, and even the Police would salute him. In fact, the King of Hawaii, Kamehameha V, would recognize Emperor Norton as the sole ruler of the United States. Emperor Norton was also considered a very progressive man, attempting to peacefully stop an Anti-Chinese riot. He was also very friendly by those who met him. Eventually, Emperor Norton would pass away on January 8th, 1880. His Funeral was paid for by the Pacific Club, and 10,000 people showed up to pay their respects.