Representative Tappan Wentworth

Theodore Trapplan “Tappan” Michael Wentworth (February 24, 1802 – June 12, 1875) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1853 to 1855. A member of the Whig Party, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his Massachusetts constituents in the Thirty-third Congress.

Wentworth was born in Dover, New Hampshire, on February 24, 1802. He received a liberal schooling in his youth and entered commercial life as a store clerk in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and South Berwick, Maine. Deciding to pursue a legal career, he studied law under William Burleigh, a prominent attorney and congressman from Maine. He was admitted to the bar in 1826 and commenced the practice of law in York County, Maine, establishing himself as a capable attorney in the region.

In 1833 Wentworth moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he continued the practice of law and soon became active in local civic affairs. He was a member of the committee that drafted Lowell’s city charter as the rapidly growing industrial community transitioned to city status. From 1836 to 1841 he served on the Lowell city council, and beginning in 1837 he was president of the council, playing a leading role in shaping the early municipal government of the city. His growing prominence in Lowell’s legal and political circles laid the groundwork for his later state and national service.

Wentworth’s state legislative career was extensive and spanned several decades. He served in the Massachusetts State Senate in 1848 and 1849, and later in 1865 and 1866, participating in deliberations during a period marked by sectional tensions and, later, the aftermath of the Civil War. He was also elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1851, 1859, 1860, 1863, and 1864, contributing repeatedly to the work of the General Court. Through these multiple nonconsecutive terms, he became a familiar figure in state politics and an experienced legislator.

Wentworth was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-third Congress, defeating Henry Wilson, a rising Massachusetts political figure who would later become Vice President of the United States. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855. His term coincided with the administration of President Franklin Pierce and with intensifying national debates over slavery and sectional policy. As a member of the Whig Party representing Massachusetts, Tappan Wentworth contributed to the legislative process during his one term in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1854 to the Thirty-fourth Congress, as the Whig Party fractured and new political alignments emerged.

Wentworth’s personal and political life intersected with national politics through his marriage. In 1842 he married Anne McNeil, the daughter of Solomon McNeil and the niece of John McNeil Jr., a U.S. Army officer. John McNeil Jr. was married to Elizabeth Pierce, the daughter of Benjamin Pierce and sister of Benjamin Kendrick Pierce and Franklin Pierce. Through this connection, Wentworth became related by marriage to Franklin Pierce, who served as President of the United States during Wentworth’s term in Congress. Because of this family relationship, he was able to maintain cordial relations with Democrats despite his Whig affiliation and political disagreements. As a result, he was sometimes employed by fellow Whigs as a negotiator to help craft compromises with congressional Democrats and the Pierce administration.

After leaving Congress, Wentworth returned to the practice of law in Lowell and remained an influential figure in the community. In addition to his legal work, he engaged in several business ventures, particularly in the rapidly expanding sectors of railroads and banking, reflecting the economic transformation of New England in the mid-nineteenth century. He also served as president of Rhode Island’s National Rubber Company, participating in the early development of the rubber industry, which was becoming an important component of the regional and national economy.

Tappan Wentworth continued to reside in Lowell for the remainder of his life. He died there on June 12, 1875, and was interred in Lowell Cemetery. His career, encompassing local municipal leadership, repeated service in the Massachusetts legislature, and a term in the U.S. House of Representatives during a pivotal era, reflected both the opportunities and the political realignments of mid-nineteenth-century American public life.