Emperor Joshua Abraham Norton died January 8th, 1880.
Who was Emperor Norton? Well Wikipedia says:
Joshua Abraham Norton (c. 1819[2] – January 8, 1880), the self-proclaimed His Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, was a celebrated citizen of San Francisco, California, who in 1859 proclaimed himself “Emperor of these United States” and “Protector of Mexico.” …Although he had no political power, and his influence extended only so far as he was humored by those around him, he was treated deferentially in San Francisco, and currency issued in his name was honored in the establishments he frequented.
He captured the imagination and thus has been mentioned in many literary works. You can find a list of books that reference the Emperor at http://www.knauer.org/mike/discordia/norton.php. The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco also has a piece on Emperor Norton.
His legend continues to this day as he is remembered far and wide. Personally, I’d never heard of Emperor Norton until The World Science Fiction Convention was held in San Francisco. Emperor Norton was the Ghost of Honor at the convention. They had someone dressed up as him and in character throughout the convention.
This of course made me curious about the man who proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States and I looked him up. I really don’t know if he was insane or one of those people who just manage to find the right insanity to let them live the life they wanted. When he died, 30,000 people attended his funeral/viewing. He’s been written about usually as a minor character in several books that take place in San Francisco that I’ve read over the last couple of years.
He lives on in the imagination and history of San Francisco and the country. I think he endures because he was one of those rather harmless cranks who spoke his mind and probably said or did things that everyone wished they could do but didn’t/couldn’t. He filled a need for the people of his time and he fills a place in our hearts — you know that place that secretly enjoys a good con as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.
It’s fitting as we come up on January 20th when we (the United States) inaugurate a new president, to remember our only Emperor — Emperor Joshua Norton, may he live in our imaginations and our hearts.