Palatine man traveling the country as the 'Rough Rider'

While much was made of Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday this month, another presidential milestone passed a lot more quietly - except for Palatine native Joe Wiegand.

Wiegand spent the last year crisscrossing the country as Teddy Roosevelt in honor of the 26th president's 150th birthday this past October. Wiegand hit all 50 states, and performed on TR's birthday at the White House for President and Mrs. Bush.

In that time, he managed to turn his love of history into a full-time job as a TR impersonator. Roosevelt, perhaps the most colorful character to ever inhabit the White House, provided Wiegand with plenty of material.

"His popularity was worldwide," Wiegand said. "He wrung every little bit of experience out of life that he could."

Wiegand covers a lot of ground in his appearances. He shares with audiences anecdotes about Roosevelt's fascinating life - from his time as a cowboy in the Dakotas to his days with the Rough Riders. At a recent stop in Schaumburg, for example, Wiegand entertained his audience with tales of how the Roosevelt children rode kitchen trays down the White House stairs and grew more sober with the story of how TR lost his first wife and mother on the very same day.

"He speaks to me, in part because of the story of him overcoming his asthma as a young child," said Wiegand, who also battled asthma.

Wiegand, a Palatine High School graduate, comes from a political background himself. He served as a county commissioner in DeKalb County and ran unsuccessfully for state legislature.

He managed Jim Oberweis' failed gubernatorial campaign in 2006. When that behind him, Wiegand started reflecting on his future. As a Republican in a state controlled by Democrats, Wiegand figured politics would be too frustrating.

Five years ago, he started doing part-time TR appearances. Two years ago, Wiegand decided to make a go of it full-time.

Last February, he kicked off his yearlong Teddy tour. He hit the road in an RV with his wife Jenny, 10-year-old daughter Samantha and dog Faith. The tour was self-funded, and he sometimes went weeks without gigs. But through word-of-mouth, their bookings grew.

Wiegand is 43, roughly the same age Teddy was when he became president. At appearances, he tries to drive home local Roosevelt connections. Chicago, for example, played host to the convention where Roosevelt was nominated for vice president and was the site of his reconciliation with rival William Howard Taft.

The tour is now over, and the Wiegands are back home in Fairdale, Ill. His wife, he says, has supported his presidential passion from the start.

"We have been a pair of dreamers who have been very supportive of each other," he said of his wife. "We both have decided that life isn't to be lived with the question 'what if' - still asked at the end."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.teddyrooseveltshow.com/">Joe Wiegand's Roosevelt Web page</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>