By February 1856, Joshua Norton was moving away from the Democratic Party, disgusted by corruption in the local party apparatus.

In August 1858, Joshua announced his intention to run as an “independent candidate” for U.S. Congress.

In one of his earliest Proclamations as Emperor, he lamented in October 1859 “that open violation of the laws are constantly occurring, caused by mobs, parties, factions and undue influence of political sects.”

Later, in 1869 and 1876, Emperor Norton issued Proclamations dissolving and abolishing the Democratic and Republican parties.

And in July 1875, he gave an impromptu speech at a “No Party” forum held at the Mercantile Library.

Comes a new discovery: In April 1862, Emperor Norton signed a petition calling on the “anti-party” People’s Party to begin the process of nominating candidates for the local San Francisco offices in the upcoming election.

This may be the earliest documented record of Emperor Norton — as Emperor — formally aligning himself with a specific independent approach to politics.

It may also signal a pivot towards a greater engagement with local and state issues after an initial period, 1859–62, in which the Emperor seemed more interested in national and international affairs.