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How to Become a Ruler | Tales From the Bottle

Qxir | August 9, 2025



Ever thought about ruling your own nation? Well of course you have! And you’re not the only one…

“Joshua Abraham Norton (February 4, 1818 – January 8, 1880), known as Emperor Norton, was a resident of San Francisco, California, who in 1859 proclaimed himself “Norton I., Emperor of the United States”. In 1863, after Napoleon III invaded Mexico, he took the secondary title of “Protector of Mexico”.
Norton was born in England but spent most of his early life in South Africa. Leaving Cape Town, probably in late 1845, he arrived in Boston, via Liverpool, in March 1846 and San Francisco in late 1849. Nothing is known of his whereabouts or occupations in the intervening three-and-a-half years.
For the first few years after arriving in San Francisco, Norton made a successful living as a commodities trader and real estate speculator. However, he was financially ruined following a failed bid to corner the rice market during a shortage prompted by a famine in China. He bought a shipload of Peruvian rice at 12 cents per pound; but more Peruvian ships arrived in port, causing the price to drop sharply to 4 cents. He then lost a protracted lawsuit in which he tried to void his rice contract, and his public prominence faded. Norton re-emerged in September 1859, laying claim to the position of Emperor of the United States. Though Norton received many favors from the city, merchants also capitalized on his notoriety by selling souvenirs bearing his name. “San Francisco lived off the Emperor Norton”, Norton’s biographer William Drury wrote, “not Norton off San Francisco”.
Norton had no formal political power; nevertheless, he was treated deferentially in San Francisco, and currency issued in his name was honored in the establishments that he frequented. Some considered him insane or eccentric, but citizens of San Francisco celebrated his imperial presence and his proclamations, such as his order that the United States Congress be dissolved by force and his numerous decrees calling for the construction of a bridge and tunnel crossing San Francisco Bay to connect San Francisco with Oakland. On January 8, 1880, Norton collapsed at the corner of California and Dupont (now Grant) streets and died before he could be given medical treatment. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, upwards of 10,000 people lined the streets of San Francisco to pay him homage at his funeral. Norton has been immortalized as the basis of characters in the literature of Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Christopher Moore, Morris and René Goscinny, Selma Lagerlöf, G.S Denning, and Neil Gaiman.”

More on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Norton

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Written by Qxir

Comments

This post currently has 39 comments.

  8. @ItsMee-b2i

    August 9, 2025 at 11:18 am

    Who needs an Empire when you have a snappy uniform and a sword? That's why I took the job of Potentate of the Southern Reaches in the first place.

  16. @Jamie_van_Brewen

    August 9, 2025 at 11:18 am

    Reminds me of Leslie Cochran, a homeless man and notable eccentric where I live in Austin, TX. He had occasional run-ins with police here, but was much beloved by the city. He ran for mayor and while he lost he garnered a considerable percentage of the vote. He was outspoken about the rights of homeless people and other downtrodden, marginalized groups. In 2012, at the age of 61, he also died after collapsing on the street.

  28. @dickalatorre

    August 9, 2025 at 11:18 am

    Listening to this story I literally went from being like "fuck this ass-hole" to "awe… Thats sweet" and "oh no!" When he died…

    He was a good guy with only the best of intentions… Unlike most politicians… We might have been better off in his hands at the time. (Edited to add "listening to this story" because without it i sound like Im implying I was there for this rollercoaster)

  36. @unrepentantbastard9088

    August 9, 2025 at 11:18 am

    You forgot to mention Norton's dogs.
    It also would be fitting to mention that Norton 1st and the loyal hounds are characters in a novel by Christopher Moore.
    Look at the bronze plaque you have in the video. Boomer and Lazarus are there. It may be a tangent, but it is worth it.
    Other than that – brilliant video. Thank you for doing this.

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