HRM Caesar St. Augustine de Buonaparte —
On September 17, 1859 Joshua Norton delivered a proclamation to the San Francisco Bulletin
declaring himself Emperor of the United States. From that point on, Joshua Norton was forever known as Emperor Norton I
, a role which he dutifully performed for the rest of his life, proudly walking around the streets of San Francisco dressed in his emperor's uniform, complete with plumed hat, gold epaulets, and a sword at his side. When he died in 1880, 10,000 people showed up at his funeral.