If you think declaring yourself emperor or empress requires an army, a palace and perhaps a crown, Joshua Abraham Norton had a different idea.
On Sept. 2, 1859, a San Francisco businessman named Joshua Norton took a rather unusual step: He proclaimed himself Emperor Norton I of the United States.
Norton had once been a successful businessman, but after losing much of his fortune, his life took an unexpected turn. He began wearing a military-style uniform and issuing proclamations about how the United States should be governed.
His 1859 declaration announced that he was now Emperor of the United States. A few years later, he expanded his imaginary empire by proclaiming himself Protector of Mexico.
San Francisco residents, rather than simply dismissing Norton as a crank, embraced the eccentric figure. Newspapers published his proclamations, restaurants reportedly accepted his self-issued currency and some businesses gave him free meals.
Norton also issued decrees that were surprisingly ahead of their time. He called for the creation of a League of Nations-like organization and advocated for a bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland — decades before the Bay Bridge was built.
Although Norton had no actual political authority, he became a beloved San Francisco character. When he died in 1880, thousands of people reportedly attended his funeral.
So, Sept. 2 marks the anniversary of one of history’s strangest self-promotions: the day a financially ruined businessman decided he wasn’t unemployed after all.
He was emperor.