Who Was Emperor Norton I ?

In December, 1852, a prosperous commodities trader named Joshua Abraham Norton, living in comfortable means in San Francisco, California, took a big chance on a really big deal. He purchased an entire shipload of rice from Peru, at a time of a major California rice shortage. The ship had already arrived in port, and all he had to do to make a fortune was to get it unloaded, and delivered to market.

Before he could accomplish this, three other ships arrived and were immediately unloaded, more than satisfying the pent-up demand. The market price of rice fell dramatically, rendering the cargo less valuable than the labor required to remove it from the ship.

Norton suffered a major financial disaster as a result of this transaction, and, if historical reports are to be believed, began to experience delusions. In 1859, he delivered a royal edict to the local newspaper, declaring himself Emperor of the United States. Later, he added the title Protector of Mexico.

Norton I enjoyed a 20-year reign. He published many more edicts, including, famously, dissolving the United States Congress, and ordering a bridge to be built from Oakland to San Francisco. He became a town "character", beloved, for the most part, by everyone. When he passed away in early 1880, huge crowds of San Franciscans attended his funeral.