Emperor Joshua Norton

I was born in London, England on February 14, 1819 to John and Sarah Norton In 1854, i lost the considerable fortune i had built up in real-estate speculation by trying to corner the rice market in San Francisco. On September 17, 1859 i issued the first of my now famous proclamations by proclaiming myself the Emperor of the United States, Portector of Mexico and King of the Jews. I died January 8, 1880 on California St. On January 10, i was buried in the Masonic Cemetery. The funeral cortege was two miles long -Between 10,000 and 30,000 people were reported to have attended my funeral. During one of the typical anti-Chinese demonstrations so common at the time, I, the emperor gave the local populace a lesson in the practical application of civics - and prayer. Sensing the dangerously heated tone of one particular meeting, i stood up before the group, bowed my head and begun reciting the Lord's Prayer. within a few minutes the agitators retreated in shame without putting any of their threats into cruel action. My duties as the Emperor included a daily patrol of the streets of San Francisco wher i made certain that all sidewalks were unobstructed. I reviewed the police to see that they were on duty. I checked on the progress of needed street repairs, inspected buildings under construction, and in general saw to it that all office city's ordinances were enforced. In 1869 I abolished both the Democratic and Republican parties, declaring "Being desirous of allaying the dissension's of party strife now existing within our realm, [I] do hereby dissolve and abolish the Democratic and Republican parties, and also do hereby degree the disfranchisement and imprisonment, for not more than ten, nor less than five years, to all persons leading to any violation of this our imperial decree." --San Francisco Herald, August 4, 1869.