Joshua Abraham Norton (c.1818 – January 8, 1880), also known as Norton I or Emperor Norton, was a celebrated citizen of San Francisco who in 1859 proclaimed himself "Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico." Though he was generally considered insane, or at least highly eccentric, the citizens of San Francisco in the mid to late nineteenth century celebrated Norton's regal presence and his deeds. He continues to be a patron saint of the unusual and of eccentrics, and he is recognized as a Saint in the Principia Discordia (1970), the main text of the Discordian religion.