The Papers Outside San Francisco That Published Emperor Norton's Original Proclamation

ON 17 SEPTEMBER 1859, the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin published Joshua Norton’s original Proclamation declaring himself “Emperor of these United States.”

A month later, on 19 October 1859, a reprint of the Proclamation appeared in — of all places — the Weekly Vicksburg Whig newspaper of Vicksburg, Miss. I took note of this in 2017.

As far as I’ve been able to determine, the Bulletin was the only San Francisco paper that ran Joshua’s Proclamation at the time.

But, it turns out that — in addition to the Vicksburg paper — there were five other papers outside San Francisco that published the Proclamation as news during the 2½-month period from mid September to early December 1859.

Three of these six papers were in Northern California. Two were in the South. And one was on the East Coast.

Only one of the six — the Daily National Democrat of Marysville, Calif. — published verbatim the text that appeared in the Bulletin, including the Bulletin’s editorial headline and introduction as follows:

San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin’s editorial headline and introduction of Proclamation of Emperor Norton, Bulletin, 17 September 1859, p. 3. Source: Genealogy Bank

The other five papers all featured some combination of a different headline; no headline; or a different intro text.

Following is the Proclamation as it appeared in each of these six newspapers in late 1859. If other examples surface, I’ll add them here.

19 September

The Daily Bee (Sacramento, Calif.) — page 3

The Sacramento Bee goes without a headline and writes its own intro that calls Joshua Norton “Some kind-hearted gentleman.”

Reprint of Proclamation of Emperor Norton originally published in the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin on 17 September 1859, The Daily Bee (Sacramento, Calif.), 19 September 1859, p. 3. Source: Newspapers.com

20 September

Daily National Democrat (Marysville, Calif.) — page 3

Except for running the headline as part of the introductory paragraph — rather than on its own line — this paper follows the Bulletin’s publication to the letter.

Reprint of Proclamation of Emperor Norton originally published in the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin on 17 September 1859, Daily National Democrat (Marysville, Calif.), 20 September 1859, p. 3. Source: California Digital Newspaper Collection

28 September

Red Bluff (Calif.) Beacon — front page

This paper keeps the Bulletin’s introduction but re-styles the Bulletin’s headline as a statement — “An Emperor Among Us” — rather than a question.

Reprint of Proclamation of Emperor Norton originally published in the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin on 17 September 1859, Red Bluff (Calif.) Beacon, 28 September 1859, p. 1. Source: California Digital Newspaper Collection

10 October

New Orleans Daily Crescent — page 5

Like the Daily National Democrat, this New Orleans paper folds the headline into the introductory paragraph. But, the paper rewrites both the headline and the intro, calling the Proclamation “startling.”

Reprint of Proclamation of Emperor Norton originally published in the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin on 17 September 1859, New Orleans Daily Crescent, 10 October 1859, p. 5. Source: Newspapers.com

19 October

Weekly Vicksburg (Miss.) Whig — front page

The Vicksburg paper closely follows the headline and intro that appeared in New Orleans a week earlier — the main difference being the addition of a sentence to the intro: “We have not heard of any great excitement being created thereat.”

Did the weekly Whig take its editorial cues for this item directly from the daily Crescent? Or might both papers have been working off of the same copy from a wire service like the Associated Press?

Reprint of Proclamation of Emperor Norton originally published in the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin on 17 September 1859, Weekly Vicksburg (Miss.) Whig, 19 October 1859, p. 1. Source: Newspapers.com

1 December

Hartford (Conn.) Daily Post — page 2

This paper carries the Bulletin’s headline but adds its own introduction, editorializing: “It is unfortunate for our ‘Emperor,’ and for his ‘subjects,’ that he was never before heard of outside his native haunts.”

Reprint of Proclamation of Emperor Norton originally published in the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin on 17 September 1859, Hartford (Conn.) Daily Post, 1 December 1859, p. 2. Source: Genealogy Bank

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