September 17, 1859, saw Joshua Norton declare himself Norton 1st, Emperor of what?
Emperor Norton 1859, Norton had become completely discontented with what he considered the inadequacies of the legal and political structures of the United States. On September 17, 1859, he took matters into his own hands and distributed letters to the various newspapers in the city, proclaiming himself "Emperor of these United States": The announcement was first printed for humorous effect by the editor of the "San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin". Norton later added "Protector of Mexico" to this title, and thus began his whimsical 21-year "reign" over America. Norton issued numerous decrees on matters of the state, including a decree on October
Emperor Norton in popular culture considered a Saint Second Class, the highest spiritual honor attainable by an actual (non-fictional) human being. The Principia also says that the Goddess Eris / Discordia replied with Norton's name when questioned as to whether She, like Jehovah, had a Begotten Son. As reported in the "Principia Discordia", the Joshua Norton Cabal, a group of Discordians based in San Francisco, has as its slogan: In official practice, the phrase is never translated out of Latin, except on certain holidays. Emperor Norton in popular culture Joshua Abraham Norton (c.1818 – January 8, 1880), also known as Norton I or Emperor Norton,