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.
He moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1833 and continued the practice of law. Wentworth was a member of the committee which drafted Lowell's city charter, and was a member of the Lowell city council from 1836 to 1841, and was the council president beginning in 1837.
Wentworth was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-third Congress, defeating Henry Wilson. He served from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855, and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1854 to the Thirty-fourth Congress.
Later career
After leaving Congress, Wentworth returned to practicing law. He was also active in several business ventures including railroads and banking, and served as president of Rhode Island's National Rubber Company.
Death and burial
He died in Lowell on June 12, 1875, and was interred in Lowell Cemetery.
Family
In 1842 Wentworth married Anne McNeil, a daughter of Solomon McNeil and niece of John McNeil Jr. John McNeil was married to Elizabeth Pierce, the daughter of Benjamin Pierce, and the sister of Benjamin Kendrick Pierce and Franklin Pierce. Because of the family connection to Franklin Pierce, who was president during Wentworth's House term, Wentworth was able to maintain cordial relations with Democrats despite disagreeing with them politically. As a result, he was sometimes employed by Whigs as a negotiator to create compromises with congressional Democrats and the Pierce administration.
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