Moses J. Wentworth

Moses Jones Wentworth (1848–1922) was an American lawyer and politician from Chicago, who served as a member of the 29th, 30th, and 31st General Assemblies in the Illinois House of Representatives, from the 1st District. He was elected as a member of the short-lived Illinois Opposition Party.

Biography
Moses J. Wentworth was born in Sandwich, New Hampshire on May 9, 1848. He graduated from Phillips Academy in 1863, and from Harvard College in 1868. He moved to Chicago later that year.



He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Chicago Law School, and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1871.



While in the Illinois General Assembly, Wentworth introduced the successful statute which required compulsory school attendance in Illinois.

By 1896 he was associated with the Democratic Party, and was a gold Democrat delegate to the 1896 Democratic National Convention.

He married Lizzie Shaw Hunt on December 7, 1891, and they had two sons. He was the nephew of "Long John" Wentworth, mayor of Chicago, and handled his uncle's business affairs and estate.

Moses J. Wentworth died at his home in Chicago on March 12, 1922, and was buried at Rosehill Cemetery.