Joshua Abraham Norton, or Emperor Norton (1819? - 1880) was a man who declared himself Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.[1] He was born in London to John and Sarah Norton. but no one knows his actual birthday or what year he was born in.
Before he became emperor he was a citizen of San Francisco. Norton spent a lot of his early life in South Africa. Before he was emperor he made a living by being a businessman. He lost a lot of money by trying to control the ricemarket in San Francisco by buying all the rice he could find. This did not work because ships came with more rice.[2]
Emperor Norton I died on January 8, 1880. The reason of his death is unknown. He collapsed on the corner of California and Grant on his way to a lecture. The next day, he had his funeral. During Emperor Norton’s funeral, a solar eclipse took place. The whole city came to his funeral, and all of them mourned. Emperor Norton is now buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. This is what his gravestone says:
NORTON I
EMPEROR
OF THE UNITED STATES
AND
PROTECTOR OF MEXICO
JOSHUA A. NORTON
1816 - 1880
