Joshua Norton
Joshua Abraham Norton (born January 17, 1811 in England , † January 8, 1880 in San Francisco ) was a businessman from San Francisco. In 1859 he proclaimed himself " Emperor Norton I", the "Emperor of the United States" and "Protector of Mexico".
Though thought to be insane, or at least highly eccentric , he was popular with the citizens of San Francisco in the mid- and late 19th centuries for his humor and "imperial edicts": his most sensational orders were the forcible dissolution of the US Congress - which was ignored by both Congress and the Army - and the construction of a bridge over San Francisco Bay , today's Bay Bridge , which was built long after Norton's death. But it wasn't just the citizens of San Francisco who noticed his bizarre whims . Mark Twain , who saw him as more than just a bizarre madman, allegedly modeled his character of the king in Huckleberry Finn on the model of Norton.
Childhood and youth
Norton was born in England, but the place and date are ambiguous: records from the Priors-Lee Parish, now part of Telford , indicate that he was born on January 17, 1811 to John and Sarah Norton and was baptized in Shropshire a month later on February 20th . In the August 1, 1870 census, Norton was listed as 50 years old and born in England, which would indicate the year of birth 1820. His obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle cites "for the best information available" on the silver plate on his coffin that identifies him at the time of death as "approximately 65 years old," which would indicate 1814 as the year of his birth. Other sources cite London as the place of birth and February 14, 1819 as the birthday. However, it can be assumed that the latter sources were unable to inspect the above-cited records.
Norton's parents emigrated to South Africa in 1820 and were apparently doing business there. After Norton a gift of 40,000 dollars had received from his father, he moved in 1849 to San Francisco, where he was able to complete first few notable transactions in the land market. When the Chinese Empire banned the export of rice in the face of a severe famine , the sales price in San Francisco rose suddenly from 9 to 79 cents per kilogram. Norton sensed his chance, and when he heard of an upcoming shipload of 91 tons of Peruvian rice, he bought the entire supply in hopes of getting the rice market under his control. But when ship after ship delivered rice from Peru, the price dropped again. Norton had to declare bankruptcy in 1858 .
As of this point, there are no documents or records to suggest that Norton was particularly eccentric. It is therefore unclear whether the bizarre things he showed later were already indicated during his early years or whether the loss of his fortune in the 1850s triggered this behavior in him. However, it is undisputed that Norton behaved strangely after losing his financial security; although there is no professional diagnosis, the symptoms are often described as megalomania .
Reign as emperor
Self-appointment
Disappointed by the inadequacies of the political system and the state and federal governments of the USA, Norton took the "scepter" into his own hands, so to speak: On September 17, 1859, he named himself - in letters to the local newspapers - "Emperor of this United States" (“ Emperor of These United States ”). Occasionally he added the addition "Protector of Mexico" to this title. Thus began his 21-year "undisputed" rule over America.
"At the pre-emptory request of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I Joshua Norton, formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now for the last nine years and ten months past of San Francisco, California, declare and proclaim myself the Emperor of These United States. "
“Anticipating the demand of a great majority of the citizens of this United States, I, Joshua Norton, a native of Algoa Bay on the Cape of Good Hope and now living in San Francisco, California for nine years and ten months, appoint myself Emperor of this United States States. "
Imperial instructions
As befits a ruling emperor, Norton issued numerous directives on state affairs that appeared in the daily newspapers of San Francisco. For example, he declared that after a monarch came to power , another legislative power , i.e. the US Congress, was superfluous, and on October 12, 1859, issued a decree to dissolve it. He also stated that “Fraud and corruption prevent the honest and fair expression of the people's will; that overt violations of the law occur again and again, which are incited by gangs, parties, political associations and sects; that also the individual citizen does not enjoy the protection of person and property that he deserves ”. Therefore, the emperor called on "all interested parties" to a meeting in Platt's Music Hall in San Francisco in February 1860, "so that one combats the lamented evil".
This decree was ignored by the “rebelling” politicians in Washington . Since more serious measures were apparently necessary, Emperor Norton I ordered the army to eliminate the rebels in a further imperial decree of January 1860:
“WHEREAS, a body of men calling themselves the National Congress are now in session in Washington City, in violation of our Imperial edict of the 12th of October last, declaring the said Congress abolished;
WHEREAS, it is necessary for the repose of our Empire that the said decree should be strictly complied with;
NOW, THEREFORE, we do hereby Order and Direct Major-General Scott, the Command-in-Chief of our Armies, immediately upon receipt of this, our Decree, to proceed with a suitable force and clear the Halls of Congress. "
“AS a group of people who call themselves the National Congress is currently meeting in Washington in overt violation of Our Imperial Decree of October 12th last year, which declared that Congress dissolved;
BECAUSE it is most necessary for the reputation of our kingdom that this decree be strictly obeyed;
THEREFORE, We hereby give orders and instructions to Major General Winfield Scott , the Commander-in-Chief of our Armies, to clear the halls of Congress immediately and with due emphasis. "
Much to His Majesty's annoyance, the US Army did not obey orders and Congress was not dissolved. This led to further decrees in 1860 that were supposed to dissolve the republic and forbid all associations of former members of Congress. The struggle against the former leaders of the empire never completely ceased during the years of imperial rule. At times, however, the emperor - albeit grudgingly - allowed the congress to continue its work.
Emperor Norton I, after feeling challenged by the stubborn Congress, tightened his measures in this ever-smoldering conflict: on August 4, 1869, he abolished both the Democratic and the Republican parties by imperial decree. The lack of respect expressed in the designation of the chosen imperial seat of government San Francisco as Frisco prompted Emperor Norton I to issue the following concerned decree from 1872:
“Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word 'Frisco', which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of a High Misdemeanor, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty- five dollars. "
"Anyone who is caught using the terrible term 'Frisco', which has no linguistic or other justification, after being given a warning, will be found guilty of gross misconduct and must pay the Imperial Treasury a fine of twenty-five dollars. "
It is not known whether the “Imperial Treasury” benefited in any way from this decree.
Exercise of office
The emperor's "exercise of office" proceeded according to a well-documented routine: he often inspected his seat of government (the streets of San Francisco) in an ornate blue uniform with gold shoulder pieces, which he had received from officers of the Presidio army base and for which he wore a castor hat with ostrich feather and rosette . He liked to complete his exterior with a stick or an umbrella. During his wanderings through the streets of San Francisco, Emperor Norton I checked the condition of the sidewalks and cable cars , the progress of repairs to public property and the demeanor and appearance of the police. He personally took care of the concerns of his subjects and was happy to give them long philosophical speeches on a variety of topics.
His consistent intervention in a crisis situation on San Francisco's streets during one of these Imperial Inspections is one of his most famous acts. In the 1860s and 1870s there were often anti-Chinese demonstrations in the poorer neighborhoods of San Francisco that occasionally escalated into bloody riots. In one of these incidents, Emperor Norton I is said to have placed himself between the fronts of the rebels and the attacked Chinese and with bowed head repeatedly spoken the Our Father until the mob dispersed.
"War" with George Washington II.
Between 1862 and 1865 Norton I led a feud with Frederick Coombs , another eccentric known in San Francisco who believed himself to be the reincarnation of George Washington . The background to this was the fact that Montgomery Street in San Francisco, only a few hundred meters long, simply did not offer enough space for two eccentric “rulers in exile” to exercise power. Norton first requested that Coombs be admitted to the state insane asylum. The dispute was extensively commented on and fueled by the press until Coombs left California in May 1865 and moved to the east coast.
"High treason" by Armand Barbier
A scandal occurred in 1867 when the police officer Armand Barbier arrested Norton for treatment of mental illnesses against his will. This led to loud protests from citizens and the newspapers of San Francisco. Police Commander Patrick Crowley was quick to react and released Norton, not without apologizing on behalf of the police force. Norton was generous enough to forgive the young cop Barber for this " high treason ". As a result of this scandal, the emperor was saluted by the police on the street.
Norton's mental state
There have been some attempts to draw conclusions about the state of mind of the only monarch in the United States by studying the imperial decrees. However, it is not possible to derive a valid diagnosis of his mental state from the only anecdotally transmitted records of his behavior. Norton may have suffered from schizophrenia , as megalomania is often seen in connection with this state of mind. It is also conceivable that Norton suffered from a depression after his economic bankruptcy , which he tried to overcome by living in an illusory world.
Despite his tics and regardless of his actual state of mind, it should not be forgotten that Emperor Norton I occasionally developed visionary ideas and that not a few of his imperial edicts were foresighted, albeit utopian. So there are instructions for the establishment of a "League of Nations" and prohibitions of any religious and sectarian disputes. In addition, the emperor often asked for a suspension bridge to be built between Oakland and San Francisco. The later statements, on the other hand, were strongly influenced by the irritation about the lack of obedience of the officials:
“WHEREAS, we issued our decree ordering the citizens of San Francisco and Oakland to appropriate funds for the survey of a suspension bridge from Oakland Point via Goat Island; also for a tunnel; and to ascertain which is the best project; and whereas the said citizens have hitherto neglected to notice our said decree; and whereas we are determined our authority shall be fully respected; now, therefore, we do hereby command the arrest by the army of both the Boards of City Fathers if they persist in neglecting our decrees.
Given under our royal hand and seal at San Francisco, this 17th day of September, 1872. "
"Since We had issued a decree that the citizens of San Francisco and Oakland may provide adequate funding to consider a bridge project from Oakland Point across Goat Island and tunnel construction as well and determine which is the better project; and since said citizens have so far ignored the said decree; and since We firmly insist that Our Authority be fully respected, We hereby order the arrest of the members of both municipal authorities by the Army if they continue to fail to obey Our ordinances.
With royal letter and seal, San Francisco, September 17, 1872. "
Contrary to his other ideas, the bridge construction was actually put into practice much later: construction of the Bay Bridge from San Francisco to Oakland began in 1933 and was completed in 1936. A plaque honoring Emperor Norton for his original idea adorns the western arch of the Transbay Terminal, the toll station and greyhound bus depot at the western end of the downtown San Francisco bridge. On December 14, 2004, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors advocated naming the new eastern segment of the bridge after Norton.
Life as emperor
Public appreciation
According to journalistic publications to be viewed with skepticism, Emperor Norton was very popular with his subjects. Although he had little money, he is said to have dined frequently in the finest restaurants, and their owners hung signs reading "In the service of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Norton I of the United States" at the entrances. This vanity was evidently tolerated by the emperor. It is said that these plaques actually had some impact on the business of these restaurants.
Furthermore, Norton's relationship with the two street dogs Bummer and Lazarus was embellished in legend. “Bummer, Lazarus and Emperor Norton were inseparable,” wrote magazine author Samuel Dickson in 1947. “At every theater premiere, three seats were reserved for the emperor and his dogs in the front row of the box, free of charge, of course.” However, there is no contemporary evidence of this . This legend is in all likelihood based on a contemporary drawing by Edward Jump entitled Three Bummers , which shows Norton, Bummer and Lazarus together in front of a buffet. The picture was then publicly exhibited and widely admired. Norton himself was anything but pleased with the portrayal: He saw it as "a denigration of imperial dignity".
Emperor Norton I actually received minor insignia of formal recognition: the census of 1870 lists him as Joshua Norton with the professional title “ Emporer ” (misspelling of Emperor , Kaiser); However, she notes “ Identified as 'Insane' ” (German: “Described as 'mentally ill'”). In addition, the emperor issued his own currency to settle smaller debts, which was accepted by local businesses. The banknotes have a face value between 50 cents and 10 dollars. Today, collectors pay significantly higher sums for the few pieces that have been preserved.
The City of San Francisco honored Norton by giving him a suitably majestic replacement when his uniform was worn out. The emperor thanked the city councilors and ennobled each of them by sending them a letter of nobility .
Last years
In his final years in office, the emperor was repeatedly the subject of various rumors and speculations. A common rumor was that he was actually a son of Emperor Napoleon III. , and his alleged origin from South Africa should only protect him from persecution. However, Napoleon III was. Born in 1808, only a few years older than Norton. Another popular story suggested that Emperor Norton intended to marry Queen Victoria . While this, too, is not true, there is at least evidence that the Emperor wrote some letters to the Queen giving her advice. A final rumor has it that Norton is indeed unspeakably rich and only plays the poor out of an inclination.
In addition to these rumors, some forged Imperial edicts were printed in the newspapers. The editors of the newspapers are suspected of having fabricated edicts with appropriate content themselves, at least in a few cases . The San Francisco Civic Museum has a list of all Imperial directives that are actually attributed to Norton.
Death of the emperor
The benevolent and largely harmless and consequential rule of Emperor Norton I ended on the evening of January 8, 1880, when Norton collapsed on the street on his way to a lecture at the National Academy of Sciences . A police officer quickly asked for a carriage to take the emperor to a hospital. However, the ruler died before the carriage reached him.
The following day, the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle published an obituary entitled "Le Roi Est Mort" ("The King is Dead"). The tone of the article was mournful and respectful:
“On the reeking pavement, in the darkness of a moonless night under the dripping rain, and surrounded by a hastily gathered crowd of wondering strangers, Norton I, by the grace of God, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, departed this life. "
"On the miserable pavement, in the dark of a moonless night in the dripping rain and surrounded by a quickly assembled crowd of amazed strangers, Norton I, by God's grace Emperor of the United States and patron of Mexico, died."
The Morning Star , another leading San Francisco newspaper, published an editorial entitled, "Norton the First, Deceased by God's grace, Emperor of this United States and Patron of Mexico."
Contrary to all rumors, it quickly became clear that Emperor Norton I had died in utter poverty and that his entire fortune was no more than a few dollars. He carried five to six dollars in cash and a search of his room in the apartment building on Commercial Street yielded another two dollars and fifty cents, his collection of walking sticks, correspondence with Queen Victoria, and 1,098,235 shares in a worthless gold mine.
Since it was foreseeable that Norton's bequeathed funds would only be enough for a burial in a poor grave , the Pacific Club ( Nob Hill ), an association of business people, stepped in with a collection of money to organize a more dignified funeral for the emperor. Ultimately, there were great, serious and dignified funerals:
"The visitors included all classes from capitalists to the pauper, the clergyman to the pickpocket, well-dressed ladies and those whose garb and bearing hinted of the social outcast, however, the garb of the laboring man predominated."
"The mourning community contained all classes from the capitalist to the poor, from the clergy to the pickpocket, well-dressed women and those whose attire and demeanor indicated their social outcast, although the attire of the workers predominated."
Records speak of up to 30,000 people lining the streets when the coffin was brought to the cemetery. The funeral procession that followed the coffin was two miles long. The emperor found his first resting place in the San Francisco Masonic Cemetery .
In 1934 the emperor's bones were reburied. Joshua Norton has been resting in Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma , California since then . The tombstone describes him as "Norton I, Emperor of the United States, patron of Mexico" . In January 1980, San Francisco held a series of ceremonies and memorials to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of the only emperor in the United States.
reception
Emperor Norton I in literature
The story of Emperor Norton was picked up by Neil Gaiman in Three Septembers and a January , an edition of his graphic novel Sandman . The story can be found in the volume Fables and Reflections .
A short story by Robert Silverberg , The Palace at Midnight , describes a post-apocalyptic California with an empire of San Francisco. The ruling emperor is a senile "Norton VII."
Emperor Norton and his dogs Bummer and Lazarus have a brief appearance in Barbara Hambly's Ishmael , a novel against the backdrop of the Star Trek universe.
Norton and his dogs Bummer and Lazarus appear in contemporary San Francisco in Christopher Moore's novels A Dirty Job , Bloodsucking Fiends , You Suck and Bite Me. A Love Story , as well as in Ellen Wight's novel Tales of the Express (New York 2008).
Issue no. 14 (reprinted as no. 57) of the Lucky Luke comic series, entitled The Emperor of America, is dedicated to the person of Emperor Norton with many details.
An early cameo has Norton in the 1892 published novel The Wrecker (The Ausschlachter) by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne .
In the parallel world novels about the Gallatin universe by L. Neil Smith , the Emperor Norton University in San Francisco is mentioned several times , where some of the characters work.
Norton in film, television and on stage
In the 1956 feature film Around the World in 80 Days , you see Emperor Norton briefly in a San Francisco scene, accompanied by the two dogs Bummer and Lazarus.
In episode 225 of Bonanza ("The Emperor of America"), Emperor Norton gets into trouble after he has asked for more security for the miners; his adversaries try to have him declared insane. Mark Twain and the (since season 7 only) three Cartwrights are at his side. Norton's concept of the suspension bridge is also mentioned. Joshua Norton was portrayed by Sam Jaffe .
In 2007 the musical Emperor Norton, the Musical premiered in San Francisco.
Other allusions to Norton
In the Discordian religion , Emperor Norton is a second class saint, the highest spiritual rank there that a real, non-fictional person can attain. In the records of the Principia Discordia , the San Francisco-based Joshua Norton group has the slogan:
“Everyone understands Mickey Mouse . Few understood Hermann Hesse . Only a handful understood Albert Einstein . And nobody understood Emperor Norton. "
Ghirardelli , a chocolatier in San Francisco, offers an Kaiser Norton sundae that is garnished with two bananas and a handful of nuts. Since in the English language the idioms he is bananas and he is completely nuts are used colloquially to describe the madness of a person, the eccentricity of Emperor Norton I is to be recalled.
An independent label called emperor norton records also commemorates the eccentric . A group of somewhat surreal software and entertainment software is called Emperor Norton Utilities . This is also a parody of the software collection Norton Utilities by Peter Norton .
Emperor Norton appeared as a guest of honor at the 1993 World Science Fiction Convention in San Francisco. An impressive local fan served as the medium of his presence. An opera written by Henry Mollicone now also reminds of Norton's life. It was performed by the West Bay Opera Company in San Francisco in the fall of 1990.
From 2003 to 2011, the science fiction prize Emperor Norton Award named after him was presented in the San Francisco Bay Area .
literature
- Robert E. Cowan: The Forgotton Characters of Old San Francisco . The Ward Ritchie Press, Los Angeles 1964.
- Albert Dressler: Emperor Norton of the United States . Dressler, Sacramento 1927.
- William Drury: Norton I, Emperor of the United States . Dodd, Mead & Company, New York 1986, ISBN 0-396-08509-1 .
- Michael Robert Gorman: The Empress Is a Man. Stories from the Life of José Sarria . Haworth Press, New York 1998, ISBN 0-7890-0259-0 .
- Theodor Kirchhoff : Norton the First, the Emperor of the United States . In: The Gazebo . Issue 32, 1869, pp. 512 ( full text [ Wikisource ]).
- William M. Kramer: Emperor Norton of San Francisco . Norton B. Stern, Santa Monica 1974.
- Allen Stanley Lane: Emperor Norton, Mad Monarch of America . Caxton Printers, Caldwell Ida 1939.
- David Warren Ryder: San Francisco's Emperor Norton . Ryder, San Francisco 1939.
Web links
- Emperor Norton. In: zpub.com. November 2, 2009(English).
- Emperor Norton in the database of Find a Grave (English)
- Tony Leather: “America's Last Emperor”. (No longer available online.) In: The Kudzu Monthly. 2001, archived from the original on July 21, 2009 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Uncertain date, see section Childhood and Adolescence for other information and sources.
- ^ International Genealogical Index Individual Record: Joshua Norton. (No longer available online.) In: FamilySearch.org . Archived from the original on January 5, 2006 ; accessed on September 17, 2019 (English).
- ↑ a b Transcription of the San Francisco Census Records of August 1, 1870, Microfilm M593-79, Sheet 327A, p. 81, line 24. Edward A. Black Sr., Maggie Stewart (Compiler): 1870 Federal Census, San Francisco County, California - ED 41: File 7 of 8. In: rootsweb.ancestry.com. October 13, 2002, accessed September 17, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c Le Roi Est Mort: Imperial Norton is dead and turned to clay. In: San Francisco Chronicle . January 11, 1880, accessed September 17, 2019 (English, obituary; reproduced on zpub.com).
- ↑ a b c Emperor Norton. In: zpub.com. November 2, 2009, accessed September 8, 2013 .
- ↑ Approaching a Crisis. In: Daily Alta California , August 27, 1862.
-
↑ Characters. In: Daily Alta California , November 16, 1864.
Fuwiy Things Seen in San Francisco. In: The New York Sun , February 8, 1865.
Camden Democrat , February 11, 1865.
Daily Alta California , April 3-4, 1865. - ^ Daily Alta California , December 26, 1864, June 13, 1865.
- ^ Joel Gazis-Sax: Tales from Colma: Diagnosing Norton. (No longer available online.) In: An Almanac of California / notfrisco.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2001 ; accessed on September 17, 2019 (English).
- ↑ Emperor Norton's name may yet span the bay / SF supervisors endorse plan to rechristen Bay Bridge after 19th century eccentric
- ↑ Mick Sinclair: San Francisco. A Cultural and Literary History. Oxford 2004, p. 20.
- ^ Samuel Dickson: Bummer and Lazarus. In: ders .: Tales of San Francisco. Stanford CA 1992, pp. 338-348 (first 1947).
- ↑ A Vacant Throne. In: Daily Alta California , January 9, 1880.
- ^ Emperor Norton's Notes. In: zpub.com. November 2, 2009, accessed September 17, 2019 (images of exhibits at the Wells Fargo History Museum, San Francisco).
- ↑ Michael R. Gorman: The Empress Is a Man: Stories from the Life of Jose Sarria . Haworth Press, Binghamton / New York 1998, ISBN 0-7890-0259-0 , p. 8.
- ^ A b Gladys Hansen: Joshua A. Norton. In: Museum of the City of San Francisco / sfmuseum.org. July 16, 2004, accessed on September 17, 2019 (English, timeline and list of all imperial directives).
- ↑ a b c Le Roi Est Mort. (No longer available online.) In: San Francisco Chronicle. January 9, 1880, archived from the original on September 7, 2006 ; Retrieved September 17, 2019 (reproduced on notfrisco.com).
- ^ Deanna L. Chancellor: Cemeteries. (No longer available online.) In: sfhistoryencyclopedia.com. San Francisco Museum & Historical Society, 2003, archived from the original on July 22, 2010 ; accessed on September 17, 2019 (English).
- ^ Bonanza Episode Guide: Season 7 Page 2: 225. The Emperor Norton: February 27, 1966. In: ponderosascenery2.homestead.com. 2002, accessed September 17, 2019 (Bonanza episode guide).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Norton, Joshua |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Norton, Joshua Abraham; Norton I., Emperor of These United States |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American businessman and self-proclaimed emperor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | uncertain: January 17, 1811 or February 14, 1819 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | uncertain: Priors-Lee, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 8, 1880 |
| Place of death | San Francisco |