Emperor Norton (c.1819-1890)

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“Everybody understands Mickey Mouse.
Few understand Hermann Hesse.
Hardly anyone understands Albert Einstein.
And nobody understands Emperor Norton.”
– from The Illuminatus! Trilogy

“At the peremptory request and desire of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton, formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now for the last 9 years and 10 months past of San Francisco, California, declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these U. S.; and in virtue of the authority thereby in me vested, do hereby order and direct the representatives of the different States of the Union to assemble in Musical Hall, of this city, on the 1st day of Feb. next, then and there to make such alterations in the existing laws of the Union as may ameliorate the evils under which the country is laboring, and thereby cause confidence to exist, both at home and abroad, in our stability and integrity.”
– NORTON I, Emperor of the United States.

[To learn more: Wikipedia, Encyclopedia of San Francisco, Twitter]

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