The Original San Francisco Eccentric
December 3, 2014 4:14 AM Subscribe
The Alta wrote, "The Emperor Norton has never shed blood. He has robbed no one, and despoiled no country. And that, gentlemen, is a hell of a lot more than can be said for anyone else in the king line."
My favorite quote about Emperor Norton.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:12 AM on December 3, 2014 [18 favorites]
My favorite quote about Emperor Norton.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:12 AM on December 3, 2014 [18 favorites]
His Imperial Majesty abolished the Republican and Democratic parties... what's not to love?
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 5:41 AM on December 3, 2014
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 5:41 AM on December 3, 2014
The change.org petition to name the new bridge in his honor is an interesting read.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 5:47 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 5:47 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
Also the subject of Sandman #31, "Three Septembers and a January," wherein it is revealed that Emperor Norton I had influence far beyond our mere mortal realm.
posted by Etrigan at 5:57 AM on December 3, 2014 [9 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 5:57 AM on December 3, 2014 [9 favorites]
All Hail Emperor Norton! Long May He Reign!
posted by ShawnString at 6:13 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by ShawnString at 6:13 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
Honestly, if I am ever so fortunate as to get a moment's conversation with Steven Moffat, I'm gonna give him my elevator pitch for a Doctor Who episode where The Doctor meets the Emperor because how awesome would that be.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:20 AM on December 3, 2014 [19 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:20 AM on December 3, 2014 [19 favorites]
We asked Goddess if She, like God, had an Only Begotten Son. She assured us that She did and gave His name as Emperor Norton I - whom we assumed was probably some Byzantine ruler of Canstantinople. Dilligent research eventually turned up the historical Norton, as we call Him, in the holy city of San Francisco - where He walked his faithful dog along Market Street scarcely more than a century ago.posted by Pope Guilty at 6:20 AM on December 3, 2014 [11 favorites]
Gregory Hill has since become the world's foremost authority on Joshua A. Norton who, on September 17th of 1859, crowned Himself the Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. Just before then, He vanished for a number of days - perhaps into the wilderness where maybe He was tempted by the Devil, probably to organize His life and get His affairs in order.
Certainly they looked like that's what they needed. For on the day before his disappearance Norton, heretofore little more than a successful businessman, cornered the rice market - only to be foiled by the unscheduled arrival of a whole shipload of rice from the Orient. A lesser man would have been thrown out of step by that event which for Him became a step to the throne.
When the U.S. Congress failed to obey His Majesty's Royal Order to assemble in the San Francisco Opera House, Norton fired every last member of that rebellious organization. Thus, the people of San Francisco knew better than to incute His Imperial wrath. His Royal Decrees were printed free of charge in the newspapers, the currency He issued was accepted in the saloons, local shopkeepers paid the modest taxes He occasionally demanded and on at least one occasion a tailor furnished Him with a new set of Royal finery.
Although a madman, Norton wrote letters to Abraham Lincoln and Queen Victoria which they took seriously.
One night a gang of vigilantes gathered for a pogrom against San Francisco's Chinatown. All that stood in their way was the solitary figure of Norton. A sane man would not have been there in the first place. A rational man would have tried to reason with them. A moralist would have scolded them. A man as daft as Norton usually seemd would have loudly ordered them to cease and desist in the name of His Royal Imperial authority. All such tacks would probably have been futile, and Norton resorted to none of them.
He simply bowed His head in silent prayer.
The vigilantes dispersed.
Discordians believe everybody should live like Norton.
The Emperor Norton Bridge has always been named after Emperor Norton. I have no idea what the point of these fnord petitions are.
posted by delegeferenda at 6:20 AM on December 3, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by delegeferenda at 6:20 AM on December 3, 2014 [6 favorites]
There's also the fact that he issued his own money - which was accepted and circulated. At a certain point you have to ask yourself when something stops being a joke and becomes an actual thing. I mean what is the U.S. Government but a bunch of people dressing up and playing a role while the rest of us go along with it?
And of course there's the famous story of how Norton dispersed a mob of anti-Chinese rioters by reciting the Lord's Prayer until they all slunk off in shame. The U.S. could do a hell of a lot worse. And has done, for that matter.
posted by Naberius at 6:53 AM on December 3, 2014 [5 favorites]
And of course there's the famous story of how Norton dispersed a mob of anti-Chinese rioters by reciting the Lord's Prayer until they all slunk off in shame. The U.S. could do a hell of a lot worse. And has done, for that matter.
posted by Naberius at 6:53 AM on December 3, 2014 [5 favorites]
Emperor Norton and San Francisco, where I lived for more than a decade, are a perfect fit. Perhaps mentally ill but harmlessly so, both to himself and others, and certainly eccentric. Two days after his death nearly 30,000 people packed the streets of San Francisco to pay homage.
In the early nineties I lived in a flat on the top floor of a three storey building in North Beach [right by Grant and Green] that had a rooftop deck with a view of everything from a slice of the Bay to the Coit Tower looming above to the steeples of Saints Peter and Paul Church to all the iconic buildings downtown and had a laundry on the ground floor and my share of the rent was $325 and our highest total PG&E bill ever was $28.
posted by vapidave at 7:01 AM on December 3, 2014
In the early nineties I lived in a flat on the top floor of a three storey building in North Beach [right by Grant and Green] that had a rooftop deck with a view of everything from a slice of the Bay to the Coit Tower looming above to the steeples of Saints Peter and Paul Church to all the iconic buildings downtown and had a laundry on the ground floor and my share of the rent was $325 and our highest total PG&E bill ever was $28.
posted by vapidave at 7:01 AM on December 3, 2014
Also it's clear that Norton at least at some point had some good sense- he went to SF for the gold rush, but as a seller of shovels rather than as a prospector.
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:12 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:12 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
Two days after his death nearly 30,000 people packed the streets of San Francisco to pay homage.
The story is that his funeral procession was marked by a total eclipse of the sun.
Because that's the kind of thing that happens at the death of The True Emperor.
posted by Myca at 7:25 AM on December 3, 2014 [9 favorites]
The story is that his funeral procession was marked by a total eclipse of the sun.
Because that's the kind of thing that happens at the death of The True Emperor.
posted by Myca at 7:25 AM on December 3, 2014 [9 favorites]
I've read about cultures where insanity is treated as a mark of divine favour and the mad person is treated with the utmost reverence, but I never realised the USA was one of them.
posted by Segundus at 7:43 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Segundus at 7:43 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
If memory serves me correctly, Norton I would occasionally issue proclamations in which he would ratify whatever it was Congress had just passed, and thus US law happened also to be Norton's law. Mad he may have been, but the man was no fool.
(Also, that issue of Sandman is, unsurprisingly, excellent.)
posted by Gelatin at 7:48 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
(Also, that issue of Sandman is, unsurprisingly, excellent.)
posted by Gelatin at 7:48 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
Thanks so much for posting this. I first learned about Emperor Norton from the Sandman issue mentioned above, and since then have read about him from many other sources, but this fills in many details I hadn't heard elsewhere (and corrects others), particular regarding his life prior to his ascension to the throne.
For example, I had always heard that Norton was financially ruined when he attempted to corner the rice market, and failed. But according to this article, that's not the whole story. He was worth $250K at the time, and the rice had cost him only a tenth of his fortune — a serious blow, to be sure, but not a ruinous one in and of itself. Apparently a protracted legal battle with the brothers who had sold him the rice exhausted his funds. Had he just accepted the loss, he might have continued as a successful businessman.
Which, in this instance, would have been unfortunate because it would have deprived the United States of the most benevolent ruler it has ever seen, but there's probably an object lesson in there for those of us who don't have the Imperial nature.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:50 AM on December 3, 2014 [4 favorites]
For example, I had always heard that Norton was financially ruined when he attempted to corner the rice market, and failed. But according to this article, that's not the whole story. He was worth $250K at the time, and the rice had cost him only a tenth of his fortune — a serious blow, to be sure, but not a ruinous one in and of itself. Apparently a protracted legal battle with the brothers who had sold him the rice exhausted his funds. Had he just accepted the loss, he might have continued as a successful businessman.
Which, in this instance, would have been unfortunate because it would have deprived the United States of the most benevolent ruler it has ever seen, but there's probably an object lesson in there for those of us who don't have the Imperial nature.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:50 AM on December 3, 2014 [4 favorites]
I've read about cultures where insanity is treated as a mark of divine favour and the mad person is treated with the utmost reverence, but I never realised the USA was one of them.
Well, yes, Norton tried to fix the problems that arise from that attitude by dissolving Congress, but unfortunately it didn't stick.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:54 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
Well, yes, Norton tried to fix the problems that arise from that attitude by dissolving Congress, but unfortunately it didn't stick.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:54 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
The Emperor was, after all, a kind, God-fearing citizen. He attended church every Sunday at either St. Mary’s or the First Unitarian Church, as well as synagogue every Saturday at Temple Emanu-El. “I think it my duty to encourage religion and morality by showing myself at church,” he once said to Rev. O.P. Fitzgerald, a Methodist minister, “and to avoid jealousy I attend them all in turn.”
Would that all our rulers were this crazy.
posted by jonp72 at 8:22 AM on December 3, 2014 [8 favorites]
Would that all our rulers were this crazy.
posted by jonp72 at 8:22 AM on December 3, 2014 [8 favorites]
We have yet to have a Jewish president, but, fuck it, we had a Jewish emperor.
Emperor Norton still has a marching band, although they don't march, so they call themselves a stationary marching band.
posted by maxsparber at 8:27 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
Emperor Norton still has a marching band, although they don't march, so they call themselves a stationary marching band.
posted by maxsparber at 8:27 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
I first learned about Emperor Norton thanks to his (and his dogs'!) cameos in Christopher Moore's San Francisco-set books, which delighted me. Emperor Norton should just show up in every single book or TV show set in San Francisco. I like the thought of his benevolent rule continuing, if only in fictional San Franciscos.
posted by yasaman at 8:29 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by yasaman at 8:29 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
The Emperor's dogs, Bummer and Lazurus, were not his dogs. They were just another fixture here in SF at the same time. When the city passed a leash law they were excempt. When they died the city turned out by the thousands to march down Market street for their funeral. Back then this city had a lot more class...
posted by njohnson23 at 8:48 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by njohnson23 at 8:48 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
Why are people saying he was mentally ill or insane? He issued his own currency, which ended up circulating. He fired Congress. He stopped a riot. Where is the insane part? Firing Congress? That's the sane-est thing I ever heard of in my life.
posted by Cookiebastard at 9:36 AM on December 3, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by Cookiebastard at 9:36 AM on December 3, 2014 [6 favorites]
The story is that his funeral procession was marked by a total eclipse of the sun.
The total solar eclipse was actually the day after his funeral, and the path of totality was somewhat south of San Francisco, so the sun was only about 94% eclipsed at its maximum in SF.
But maybe that's the sort of thing that happens at the death of the More-than-True Emperor, the kind whose truth transcends mere facts.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:40 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
The total solar eclipse was actually the day after his funeral, and the path of totality was somewhat south of San Francisco, so the sun was only about 94% eclipsed at its maximum in SF.
But maybe that's the sort of thing that happens at the death of the More-than-True Emperor, the kind whose truth transcends mere facts.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:40 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
But maybe that's the sort of thing that happens at the death of the More-than-True Emperor, the kind whose truth transcends mere facts.
Jesus Christ. The Unknown Armies game writes itself.
posted by Myca at 9:57 AM on December 3, 2014 [5 favorites]
Jesus Christ. The Unknown Armies game writes itself.
posted by Myca at 9:57 AM on December 3, 2014 [5 favorites]
I live in SF and love the way we embrace Emperor Norton. But one of our city's biggest shame is the way thousands of mentally ill people live in misery in the streets of SF. We as a city have failed to care for them in their vulnerability. It makes the city a shitty place to live (I mean that both figuratively and literally) and it's terrible for the people who need help. It's hard to look back on this "charming eccentric" entirely with joy.
posted by Nelson at 10:48 AM on December 3, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by Nelson at 10:48 AM on December 3, 2014 [5 favorites]
As the article points out, many of the decrees attributed to Emperor Norton were fakes. The Museum of the City of San Francisco has a page listing the ones they believe to be legitimate, among other facts regarding His Majesty, including this one, my favorite:
August 1, 1870 – Norton I was listed by the Census taker with the occupation of “emperor,” living at 624 Commercial St.
Officially recognized as emperor!
posted by ogooglebar at 11:42 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
August 1, 1870 – Norton I was listed by the Census taker with the occupation of “emperor,” living at 624 Commercial St.
Officially recognized as emperor!
posted by ogooglebar at 11:42 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
ogooglebar: an image of the 1870 census page showing his name and occupation.
or, citing this page:
"United States Census, 1870," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11094-26134-72?cc=1438024 : accessed 03 Dec 2014), California > San Francisco > San Francisco, ward 3 > image 81 of 87; citing NARA microfilm publication M593, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
posted by blob at 1:18 PM on December 3, 2014 [6 favorites]
or, citing this page:
"United States Census, 1870," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11094-26134-72?cc=1438024 : accessed 03 Dec 2014), California > San Francisco > San Francisco, ward 3 > image 81 of 87; citing NARA microfilm publication M593, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
posted by blob at 1:18 PM on December 3, 2014 [6 favorites]
I read the column headings across the top of that census page before scrolling down to Norton's entry. I was kind of hoping column 18 would be blank. Alas.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 1:32 PM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 1:32 PM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
As a native of New Orleans, probably the only other US city where a lot of people would go along with this kind of role playing, I was struck on my first walk around downtown San Francisco that it felt like home in a way no other city I'd ever visited did.
I don't know how this impression manages to percolate from the depths of history, but it's palpable, like a scent in the air. There's just a bit of whimsy to all sorts of normal things, the architecture and signage and graffiti and all, that somehow acknowledges that the city itself is kind of a crazy thing; San Francisco of course having been built atop the hundreds of abandoned rusting ships from the gold rush, New Orleans being just a crazy place to put a city in the first place (as Bienville put it "the impossible but necessary" city).
However it keeps getting coded through the generations everyone kind of understands, as Naberus states upthread, that the "real" government is also just a bunch of people dressing up and playing roles, so how is something like Norton I or King Rex any crazier?
posted by localroger at 4:49 PM on December 3, 2014 [2 favorites]
I don't know how this impression manages to percolate from the depths of history, but it's palpable, like a scent in the air. There's just a bit of whimsy to all sorts of normal things, the architecture and signage and graffiti and all, that somehow acknowledges that the city itself is kind of a crazy thing; San Francisco of course having been built atop the hundreds of abandoned rusting ships from the gold rush, New Orleans being just a crazy place to put a city in the first place (as Bienville put it "the impossible but necessary" city).
However it keeps getting coded through the generations everyone kind of understands, as Naberus states upthread, that the "real" government is also just a bunch of people dressing up and playing roles, so how is something like Norton I or King Rex any crazier?
posted by localroger at 4:49 PM on December 3, 2014 [2 favorites]
The Empress Widow Norton was a pretty amazing person too.
posted by echolalia67 at 6:23 PM on December 3, 2014
posted by echolalia67 at 6:23 PM on December 3, 2014
But one of our city's biggest shame is the way thousands of mentally ill people live in misery in the streets of SF. [...] It's hard to look back on this "charming eccentric" entirely with joy.
Nelson, if it makes you feel any better, given the state of mental health treatment in the mid- to late-1800s, I reckon Norton may have been dealt the better possible fate at the time.
posted by jason at 5:03 PM on December 5, 2014
Nelson, if it makes you feel any better, given the state of mental health treatment in the mid- to late-1800s, I reckon Norton may have been dealt the better possible fate at the time.
posted by jason at 5:03 PM on December 5, 2014
Emperor Norton lives today with Emperor Norton's Fantastic Time Machine Tour and Emperor Norton's Boozeland. For anyone in the city, next Sunday (Dec. 14) the Emperor himself is hosting the second annual Tannenbaum Toast at House of Shields.
My favorite proclamation by the Emperor prohibited the use of the word "Frisco" and charged a fine for anyone who called the city by that name.
posted by mike3k at 9:22 PM on December 5, 2014
My favorite proclamation by the Emperor prohibited the use of the word "Frisco" and charged a fine for anyone who called the city by that name.
posted by mike3k at 9:22 PM on December 5, 2014
I need to make it to Emperor Norton's Boozeland sometime.
This post could use an "emperornorton" tag.
posted by Pronoiac at 12:31 PM on December 11, 2014
This post could use an "emperornorton" tag.
posted by Pronoiac at 12:31 PM on December 11, 2014
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posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:43 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]