Presidential Impersonator Throws in Hat

A 21st-century Thomas Jefferson, decked out in 19th-century garb, took to the Widener Library steps on Friday to announce he was seeking a long-delayed third term.

Surrounded by supporters holding signs for the 2008 campaign, August “Gus” Jaccaci ’60, a longtime impersonator of the third president and a self-described “former educator and futurist,” made the announcement on the day of his 70th birthday. (The real Jefferson, for the record, would turn 264 in April.)

Jaccaci’s write-in campaign for the presidency will be grounded in “the abolition of war as a foreign policy,” according to a statement issued by his press representative and wife, Joanne.

In a telephone interview with The Crimson, Jaccaci said his incarnation of Jefferson had decided to run for president again because “the reputation of this country has been declining.”

“The main point of my program is to regain the moral high ground America should hold,” he said.

Jaccaci said he will start his campaign tour by delivering a speech at the University of Virginia on May 1. He hopes to visit South Carolina, Nevada, Iowa, and New Hampshire, as well.

“I’ll continue campaigning right through till the election,” Jaccaci said.

After graduating from the College in 1960, Jaccaci attended the Graduate School of Education, and studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Former Harvard Dean of Admissions Fred L. Glimp ’50, who attended the announcement Friday, said that Jaccaci worked as an assistant to him between 1961 and 1963. In addition, Jaccaci said his time at Harvard included a tenure as coach of the varsity ski team and proctor in Straus Hall.

But Jaccaci has moved on to a more ambitious calling. He said he addresses his audiences in speaking tours as Thomas Jefferson from the perspective of the year 2040, congratulating them on their achievements.

“When I am enacting Mr. Jefferson, I am the embodiment of the greatest icon in American political history,” he said.

In addition to its pacifist message, Jaccaci’s campaign will emphasize environmental consciousness and will be run entirely by volunteers.

“The point is not the vote, the point is the message,” he said. “I’d be lucky to get one percent of the vote.”

Jaccaci has run for public office before, winning just under one percent of the vote in the Vermont gubernatorial elections of 1992 and 1994.

Winning one percent in 2008, however, will be a little bit harder. If voter turnout equals that of 2004, Jaccaci will need to convince 1.2 million Americans that it’s time to give the third president a third term.

—Aliza H. Aufrichtig contributed to reporting of this story.