# The Emperor of the United States **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 17, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406 "2009-09-17T04:00:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/21 "2009-09-17T16:58:18Z")
His Majesty’s [tomb](http://static.atlasobscura.com/files/imagecache/place_main/place_images/766_119906277353.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/22 "2009-09-17T17:27:56Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > His Majesty’s [tomb](http://static.atlasobscura.com/files/imagecache/place_main/place_images/766_119906277353.jpg). Oh yes, new destination to visit for my next trip to San Francisco! I’ll have to explain to my husband the necessity of honoring our only emperor. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/23 "2009-09-17T18:22:42Z")
Seeing the state of your country nowadays, I am not entirely unconvinced that His Royal Highness, Norton the First, would not do better. Perhaps you should find yourself a new emperor. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/24 "2009-09-17T22:03:50Z")
I rode the train home from the Giants game next to [his deputy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Chu) the other night. Cheers to the Emperor. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/25 "2009-09-17T22:14:33Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > May they be in the heaven for good kings… he did the job as well as any. When an over-zealous young cop arrested Norton for vagrancy, a judge discharged him with the words “Mister Norton has shed no blood, robbed no one, and despoiled no country, which is more than can be said for most fellows in the king line”. And in Neil Gaiman’s “Three Septembers and a January” he was Death’s favourite monarch, and she’d met them all. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/26 "2009-09-18T00:25:20Z")
Frank Chu’s doing his thing still? Aw, man. Shaenon Garrity always loved quoting him. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/27 "2009-09-18T01:39:18Z")
And when you bring your computer to San Francisco, don’t forget to use the [Emperor Norton Utilities](http://singlenesia.com/software/enu). ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/28 "2009-09-18T02:18:12Z")
I’m proud to claim the Emperor as a Member of the Tribe. L’chaim, your majesty. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/29 "2009-09-18T03:47:30Z")
> [@Scissorjack](#): > > When an over-zealous young cop arrested Norton for vagrancy, a judge discharged him with the words “Mister Norton has shed no blood, robbed no one, and despoiled no country, which is more than can be said for most fellows in the king line”. And in Neil Gaiman’s “Three Septembers and a January” he was Death’s favourite monarch, and she’d met them all. If I remember correctly after this either the mayor or the chief of police had an officer stay with him to prevent such a thing happening again. He didn’t actually issue money, that would have been legal. But he did issue promisary, interest bearing notes. If you google his name you’ll turn up a couple of pictures of them. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/30 "2009-09-18T05:48:06Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I’m proud to claim the Emperor as a Member of the Tribe. L’chaim, your majesty. Well, in Gaiman’s story he _was_ one of the 36 tzadikim. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/31 "2009-09-18T06:31:30Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Frank Chu’s doing his thing still? Aw, man. Shaenon Garrity always loved quoting him. I’m surprised that the wiki article doesn’t mention the shout-outs in Narbonic. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/32 "2009-09-18T13:52:33Z")
> [@](#): > > If I remember correctly after this either the mayor or the chief of police had an officer stay with him to prevent such a thing happening again. I don’t beleive they escorted him. But they were told to salute him when they saw him in public. > [@](#): > > He didn’t actually issue money, that would have been legal. But he did issue promisary, interest bearing notes. If you google his name you’ll turn up a couple of pictures of them. And they were a good investment. Genuine Norton notes are worth more than their face value. And I say genuine because they became valuable enough that they were counterfeited. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/33 "2009-09-19T00:40:59Z")
> [@Scissorjack](#): > > Well, in Gaiman’s story he _was_ one of the 36 tzadikim. I believe I know one of the current 36 (He denies it of course). He suffers from the delusion that he is a werewolf, almost died of a dental infection last year, and is one of the finest human beings you could ever hope to meet. Next time we chat, I shall suggest to him that he proclaim himself Emperor. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406/34 "2009-09-19T01:18:19Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > …During his 21 year reign he dissolved the United States Congress, proposed a bridge be built between San Francisco and Oakland, banned use of the nickname “Frisco,” and allegedly prevented one anti-Asian race riot…! Didn’t His Imperial Majesy also try to arrange a marriage between President Lincoln and the widowed Queen Victoria (I imagine Mrs Lincoln would have a problem with that)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-emperor-of-the-united-states/510406.md?page=1)