Political Activist, Entertainer, and the first openly gay candidate to run for public office in the United States. Born in San Francisco of Spanish and Colombian extraction, his parents were Julio Sarria (a maitre d' at the Palace Hotel) and Maria Dolores Maldonado, who were not married. Julio abandoned Maria when José was still quite young and he was raised largely by another couple. He would proudly serve in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. Upon discharge, he returned to San Francisco where he became a teacher, but lost his job because he was arrested for solicitation, a common charge for those thought to be gay at that time. He had to pay a hefty fine and lost his chance to be a teacher because he could no longer be certified. With a love of opera and a talent for singing, he began performing in drag at "The Black Cat", one of the first gay taverns in the city. Because of the practice of raiding gay establishments by the police, José became an activist for gay civil rights and would eventually co-found "the Tavern Guild", "the Society for Individual Rights" (S.I.R.), and "the League for Civil Education". In 1961 he became the first openly gay candidate to run for office in the United States. Though he didn't win, he gathered 6,000 votes, placing 9th in the race. The Tavern Guild started an annual "Beaux Arts Ball" in 1964 and José was crowned "Queen of the Ball". Soon, Jose proclaimed himself "Her Royal Majesty, Empress of San Francisco, José I, The Widow Norton", in the same way the famous 19th century eccentric Joshua Norton, proclaimed himself "Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico" in 1859. José was soon arranging annual pilgrimages to lay flowers on Norton's grave in Colma, posing as his "widow". He would eventually purchase the grave next to Joshua's, where he is interred today. In 1964 José founded :The Imperial Court of San Francisco" and since then a different "Empress" is chosen every year by at the ball. These annual galas have raised thousands of dollars for charity since their inception. José was seen in the 1995 film "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar". In 1996, José left San Francisco to retire in Palm Springs, California. His biography, "The Empress Is a Man: Stories from the Life of José Sarria" by Michael R. Gorman, was published in 1998. In 2006, the city of San Francisco honored José's contribution to LGBT history by permanently re-naming a portion of 16th Street "José Sarria Court", in the Castro District, after him. José's health became more frail and he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2009, where he was lovingly cared for by close friends until passing from adrenal cancer at age 90. Over 1,000 mourners attended his funeral at Grace Cathedral (Episcopal) in San Francisco where his hearse was accompanied by a San Francisco Police Motorcycle Unit. His obituary appeared in both the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. José's extensive collection of memorabilia, documents, letters, and costumes now reside at the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco and at the Oakland Museum of California.