REALLY WEIRD HISTORY: The Emperor of the United States

In the mid 1800s, a vagrant declared himself Emperor of The United States - and everybody just sort of went along with it.

Edited by me and Lance Little

[wasd____]

>Abolishes both the Democratic and Republican parties

The hero we need...

[thelastcube.]

30, 000 people attented his funeral
Damn, now _that's a legacy_

[armorer]

"The self-declared Emperor began strolling through the streets of San Francisco, inspecting the conditions of the sidewalks and the cable cars, public buildings, and even ensuring that police officers were making regular public patrols to keep the city safe."

The Emperor Protects.

[katestahla]

some guy: I am now the emperor of the united states and all shall follow my imperial decree
san franciscans: aw hell yeah sure ok

[TheBeird]

So why hasn't HBO made a mini series about this guy? This is fascinating as hell

[TheExceedermjw]

You know, it's quite amusing. 'Emperor' Norton was by no means an official ruler of the United States, but if nothing else, he should always be remembered as a king of San Francisco. Or at least some kind of nobility. He created a position for himself and managed to sustain a form of authority there. It's an unconventional method for one to attain power but one can't deny he had it.

[dojokonojo]

There is a movement in San Francisco to name the Bay Bridge the Emperor Norton Bridge lol

[adolw]

We have a similar guy in my home town, he walks around the streets wearing a colourful sombrero and a matching suit to boot. Every time I see him he wears a different colour, pink, yellow, green, black, red, the list goes on. He’s been around for as long as I can remember, as a child I can recall my school bus driver stoping the bus to give him a lift across town, I couldn’t count how many times I’ve waved in his direction. He’s a friendly chap, I’ve talked with him once or twice, he says his name’s Shanty, that’s what we call him atleast. He’s a local celebrity at this point, I’ve seen him in the papers, I’ve always wondered what his story is.

[gwenramsey]

"I've met a lot of kings, and emperors and heads of state in my time, Joshua. I've met them all. And you know something? I think I liked you best."
-Death from The Sandman

[thulean.uruk-hai]

A complete lunatic ... and yet 100x better than the vast majority of political candidates. Long live the Emperor.

[LashanR]

I love local celebrities like this. We have one in Sydney, he's this really old asian man with a long hair and beard who stands on street corners smiling and wearing signs telling people to be happy. He's known as Smile Guy. Proudly voted for him to be in the Senate.

[corvus]

Emperor Norton's tombstone says,
"Norton I
Emperor of the United States
and Protector of Mexico
Joshua A. Norton
1819 - 1880"

[dulguunmurunbarsbold]

I'm not even American and i would proudly have him be my Emperor.

[CmndrBubbles]

"Mister Norton has shed no blood, robbed no one, and despoiled no country; which is more than can be said of his fellows in that line."
Long live Emperor Norton

[flozikthasapeson]

This would be a great heartwarming movie

[perplexingpantheon]

I'd like to highlight that the $25 fine back then in 1872 would be about $500, now. Imagine being fined $500 for saying frisco!

[oddtail_tiger]

Here's the thing. Emperor Norton had more legitimacy as a ruler than many, many kings and emperors throughout history. Possibly most.

In the end, for all of human history people who have ruled over others only did so because others acknowledged their right to do so. But much of the time, this acknowledgment only came from other people in power, or came out of fear of a military.

Emperor Norton actually enjoyed popular support, even on a local scale to the extent that businesses, cultural establishments and the friggin' POLICE bent to what he wanted. He had more of a claim to his title, ethically, than most people in actual positions of power.

Plus, insane as he may have been, he was an actual thoughtful, considerate and benevolent ruler. Again, better than most.

Sure, he didn't actually RULE the US or even San Francisco, but he counts as a ruler of a sort of mini-nation of his "subjects", and I'm only half-joking here.

[davilox_]

Emperor Norton became a respected man/meme in the 19th century.

May he rest in peace

[sevensevennine]

Did Norton's parents have any other siblings? Did they have siblings? Did their siblings have kids? The succession has to go somewhere

[cynicalkiwi]

He memed himself into power. Where have I seen that before?