early life
Joshua Norton's parents are British Jews. In 182, they left England for South Africa for the first time as part of the government's colonial plan. They belong to the group that was later called "182 settlers". Norton's birthday is still controversial, but February 4, 1818 is the best date to celebrate his birthday according to ship records and San Francisco.
Norton immigrated to the United States during the gold rush in California in 1849. He entered the real estate market in San Francisco, and by 1852, he was regarded as one of the rich and respected citizens of the city.
Business Failure
In December 1852, China banned the export of rice to other countries in response to a famine. This led to the soaring price of rice in San Francisco. I heard that a ship returned to California from Peru with 2, pounds of cargo. Regarding rice, Joshua Norton tried to monopolize the rice market. Shortly after he bought the whole batch of rice, several Peruvian ships loaded with rice arrived, and the price of rice plummeted. After four years of litigation, the California Supreme Court finally ruled that Norton lost the case. He filed for bankruptcy in 1858.
The American emperor
Joshua Norton disappeared for about a year after he declared bankruptcy. When he returned to the public eye, many people thought that he not only lost his wealth, but also lost his spirit. On September 17, 1859, he distributed letters to newspapers all over the city of San Francisco, declaring himself Emperor Norton I of the United States. The San Francisco Bulletin indulged in his statement and printed a statement:
"The overwhelming majority of citizens of the United States, I, Joshua Norton, former, the Cape of Good Hope in the Gulf of Algoah, now in the past 9 years and the past 1 months in the United States. Carl. These Americans declared their own emperors; , so I gave the power to assemble the representative unions in this order and directly in different states in the music hall. On the first day of February in this city, on the spot, the unions that changed the existing laws may improve the labor of evil countries, thus leading to the existence of confidence at home and abroad, in our stability and integrity. "
Emperor Norton repeatedly ordered the dissolution of the US Congress, the state and the abolition of the two major political parties, but they were ignored by the federal government and the generals who led the US military. However, he was welcomed by the citizens of San Francisco. He spent most of his time walking in the streets of San Francisco in a blue uniform, which was given to him by an American army officer in Presidio, San Francisco. He also wears a hat decorated with peacock feathers. He checked the condition of roads, sidewalks and other public property. On many occasions, he gave speeches on a wide range of philosophical topics. It is reported that two dogs named Bummer and Lazarus accompanied him on tour in this city, and they also became celebrities. After France invaded Mexico in 1861, Emperor Norton added the word "Protector of Mexico" to his title.
In p>1867, a policeman arrested Joshua Norton and asked him to receive treatment for mental disorders. Local residents and newspapers expressed extreme indignation. Patrick Crowley, the San Francisco police chief, ordered Norton's release and made a formal apology to the police. The emperor pardoned the policeman who arrested him.
Although he is still poor, Norton often eats in the best restaurants in the city for free. Seats were reserved for him at the opening of plays and concerts. He issued his own currency to pay off his debts, and these banknotes were accepted as local currency in San Francisco. Photos of the emperor wearing imperial clothes were sold to tourists, and Emperor Norton dolls were also made. In turn, he expressed his love for the city, and announced that using the word "San Francisco" to refer to the city was a serious misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $25.
Officials play the role of emperors
October 12, 1859: The US Congress was formally abolished.
December 2, 1859: It was announced that Henry Wise, the governor of Virginia, should resign because john brown, an abolitionist, and John C. Blacking Ritchie of Kentucky took his place.
July 16th, 186: The United States of America disintegrated.
On August 12th, 1869, due to the conflict between parties, the Democratic Party and the * * * and the Party were dissolved and abolished.
March 23rd, 1872: It was ordered to build a suspension bridge from Oakland to Goat Island and then to San Francisco as soon as possible.
September 21st, 1872: An investigation was ordered to determine whether the best way to connect Oakland and San Francisco is a bridge or a tunnel.
Of course, Joshua Norton didn't hand over any actual power to execute these decrees, so no decrees were executed.
Death and funeral
On January 8, 188, Joshua Norton fainted at the corner of California Street and Dupont Street. The latter is now named Grant Avenue. He is on his way to attend a lecture at the California Academy of Sciences. The police immediately sent a carriage to take him to the city hospital. However, he died before the carriage arrived.
A search of Norton's apartment after his death confirmed that he lived in poverty. He had about $5 on him when he fell down, and gold coins worth about $2.5 were found in his room. Among his personal belongings, there are a pile of walking sticks, many hats and hats, and letters to Queen Victoria of England.
The arrangement of the first funeral was to bury Emperor Norton I in a poor man's coffin. However, the Pacific Club, a merchant association in San Francisco, decided to buy a mahogany coffin suitable for noble gentlemen. On January 1, 188, more than 3, of the 23, residents in San Francisco attended the funeral. The parade itself is two miles long. Norton was buried in the Masonic Cemetery. In 1934, his coffin was moved to Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma, California, along with all other graves in the city. About 6, people attended the new detention center. Flags were flown at half-mast in the whole city, and the new tombstone was engraved with "American emperor and Mexican protector Norton I".
Heritage
Although many of Emperor Norton's declarations were regarded as meaningless nonsense, his remarks about the construction of bridges and subways connecting Auckland and San Francisco now seem prescient. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was completed on November 12th, 1936. In 1969, Transbay subway was built to carry the subway service of rapid transportation in the Bay Area and connect the city. It opened in 1974. An activity called "The Emperor's Bridge Movement" is under way to attach Joshua Norton's name to the Bay Bridge. The organization is also committed to studying and recording Norton's life to help preserve his memory.
Emperor Norton in Literature
Joshua Norton is immortal in a wide range of popular literature works. He inspired the role of "King" in Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain lived in San Francisco during the reign of Emperor Norton.
Robert Louis Stevenson's novel The Wrecker, published in 1892, has the role of Emperor Norton. This book was written in collaboration with Stevenson's stepson Lloyd Osborne. This is a story to solve the mystery of the shipwreck on Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean.
Norton is regarded as the main source of inspiration for the novel the Emperor of portugala by Selma Lagerlof, a Swedish Nobel Prize in Literature winner in 1914. It tells the story of a man who falls into a dream world, his daughter becomes the queen of a fictional country, and he is the emperor.
Contemporary recognition
In recent years, the memory of Emperor Norton has been circulating in popular culture. He was the theme of the operas of Henry Morricone and John S. Bowman, as well as Jerome Rosen and James Cheville. American composer Gino Roair also composed the opera I, Norton, which has been performed in North America and Europe since 23. Kim Ohanneson and Marty Axelrod created Emperor Norton: A New Musical, which was staged in San Francisco for three months in 25.
an episode in the classic western Bonanza tells most of the stories of Emperor Norton in 1966. This episode mainly tells the story of trying to send Joshua Norton to a mental hospital. Mark Twain testified for Norton in court. Emperor Norton is also seen in Death Valley Day and Broken Arrow.
Joshua Norton even appeared in video games. One of the characters in the "neuroromancer" game based on William Gibson's novel is Emperor Norton. In the popular historical game Civilization VI, Norton played the leader-elect of American civilization.