Benefit to Boston

Born in New Hampshire in 1813, Arioch Wentworth started a  soapstone business in Boston at the age of 24. Wentworth was extremely successful at his craft, starting with granite and soapstone work and finally ending his trade career working with marble at his monuments and tabloid store. From his profitable businesses, Wentworth acquired large amounts of land in Boston, making him one of the city’s largest real estate holders at the time. In his final years, Wentworth met with Booker T. Washington to discuss his approval of what is now Tuskegee University, and to learn about the formal education system surrounding agriculture and carpentry. Wentworth hoped an institution similar to Tuskegee University would be built in the North. Thinking about his legacy, Wentworth pledged almost his whole estate to establish what is now the Wentworth Institute of Technology. Wentworth wanted a path for citizens to gain an education in the mechanical arts in a formal educational setting instead of an apprenticeship. He pledged almost his full wealth of 6 million dollars to establish the institute for the mechanical arts, however, an inheritance battle broke out lowering the funding to roughly 2.7 million dollars. Wentworth's charity and forward thinking allowed him to fund the establishment of a Boston institution that is still very much relevant and beneficial to the city today.  

Born in New Jersey in 1861, Paul B. Watson moved to Boston in 1881 for higher education and after graduating received a degree in law. Watson was an an acclaimed academic whose published piece, The Swedish Revolution Under Gustavus Vasa, earned him knighthood in Sweden.   Watson worked as a successful lawyer in Boston for over 50 years. After Arioch Wentworth's passing, Watson served as the executor of the will and defended the funds for the institution. The institution fund became controversial when Wentworth's  family demanded a larger inheritance from the will. The case went to court with Watson testifying that Wentworth's wish was to establish an institute for the mechanical arts.  After championing the trial Watson went on to become the treasurer of the Wentworth fund and used it to open what is now the Wentworth Institute of Technology. Watson's work to realize Wentworth's vision led to the founding and of what is now a mainstay institution in Boston.