This Political Consultant Found His True Calling — by Becoming Teddy Roosevelt

Joe Wiegand once dreamed of being president. Now this disillusioned politico makes a living impersonating his favorite former head of state.

Photos by Vi Nguyen

Joe Wiegand might have spent more time in public as President Theodore Roosevelt than as himself this year. But that doesn’t stop him from feeling a little embarrassed changing into his three-piece cutaway tuxedo, watch fob, and top hat in the parking garage at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. He’s here for an evening matchup between the Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. He’s never attended a ballgame in character, after performing earlier today as Roosevelt at some schools in Davenport, Iowa.

The only modern accessory visible on Wiegand, an Illinois native, is a Cubs necktie, communicating his lifelong loyalty to the team that hasn’t won a World Series since 1908 – when Theodore Roosevelt was President.

Fans of both teams keep telling Wiegand they’d vote for him if he ran for President this year. He’s been getting that a lot this election cycle as he zigzags throughout the United States, earning a living dressed as Roosevelt. He’s hard to miss. Above a walrus moustache, a p…