author
Tappan Wentworth
1802–1875
Best known as a 19th-century Massachusetts lawyer, legislator, and one-term U.S. congressman, he also left behind writing on major public works, including the Hoosac Tunnel and Troy and Greenfield Railroad. His life bridged law, politics, and civic-minded public debate in New England.
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About the author
Born in Dover, New Hampshire, on February 24, 1802, he received a broad early education, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1826. After practicing in York County, Maine, he moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1833, where he continued his legal career and became active in local public life.
He served on Lowell's common council, sat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and later represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House from 1853 to 1855 as a Whig. He remained identified with public affairs in the state, and his career reflects the close ties between law and politics in antebellum New England.
For readers encountering his work today, he is also remembered as the author of a report on the Hoosac Tunnel and the Troy and Greenfield Railroad, showing his interest in the large infrastructure questions of his day. He died in Lowell on June 12, 1875.