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==Early life==

Wentworth was born in [[Mobile, Alabama]] on [[July 26]], [[1898]], the oldest child of [[Theodore Thomas Wentworth, Sr.|Theodore Thomas Sr.]] and [[Elisabeth Goodloe Wentworth]]. The family moved to Pensacola two years later, where they had four other children. Wentworth Sr. worked for a newspaper and later managed one of the first summer resorts on [[Santa Rosa Island]], from [[1904]] until it was destroyed by the [[hurricane of 1906]]. The hurricane marked the beginning of lean years for Wentworth's family, and he began working as a newspaper boy for supplement income. It was in [[1906]] that young Tom Jr. found an [[1851]] gold coin in the sandy beach south of [[Florida Blanca Street]], sparking a lifelong fascination with historical artifacts.

Tom continued to work small jobs as an office boy and telegraph messenger, and at twelve he helped his father manage a grocery. In [[1914]], at age sixteen, he opened his own bicycle repair business at the corner of [[Belmont Street|Belmont]] and [[Davis Street]]s. The shop soon expanded into sales and sporting goods, and in [[1922]] he moved to a brick building across the street (now occupied by [[Adache Group Architects]]). Wentworth promoted the business by forming a bicycle club and holding races.

==Politics & real estate career==

Wentworth first entered politics in [[1920]], running for the office [[Escambia County Commission]]er for [[Escambia County District 1|District 1]]. His campaign platform included a promise to keep the [[Old Escambia County Courthouse|county courthouse]] clock at the correct time. This important task required climbing the tower weekly and manually winding the clock, an easy feat for the young, fit Wentworth. He also utilized his bicycle club, printing $35 worth of campaign flyers and distributing them all over the county via the club members. He won the election and took office in [[1921]] as the youngest county commissioner in the state's history. Among his accomplishments was a voter referendum for the first highway bond issue in [[Escambia County]], which helped pave the area's major roads.

Four years after his [[County Commission]] tenure, Wentworth reentered politics by running for [[Escambia County Tax Collector]]. He was elected in [[1928]] and served until [[1940]].

==Collection & museum==

Throughout the 1920s, Wentworth began displaying his growing collection of historical items in his bicycle shop's display windows. As Pensacola grew, he became aware of the need for preservation efforts to sustain He was a charter member of the [[Pensacola Historical Society]] when it was founded in [[1933]]. In [[1935]] he used his political influence to advocate the preservation of old forts and the marking of historic sites. He salvaged 20 tons of "Fighting English" cannons, slated for junk in Mississippi, and returned them for display at [[Fort Pickens]].

In [[1938]], he purchased the [[Dorothy Walton House]] and donated it to the [[City of Pensacola]] to be used as a museum. During [[World War II]], the threat of submarine attacks and the lack of volunteers forced the museum to close its doors. Wentworth moved the collection to his newly-constructed home in [[Ensley]], and in [[1956]] he began work on a separate building next door to house the collection.

The first T. T. Wentworth, Jr. Museum opened on [[April 7]], [[1957]] at 7100 [[Old Palafox Street]]. Some of the more memorable items on display were a petrified cat, a shrunken head and a pair of shoes owned by "World's Tallest Man" [[Wikipedia:Robert Wadlow|Robert Wadlow]]. Other historical artifacts included a 1,500-year-old dugout canoe, pre-Columbian and American Indian artifacts, a map dated 1555, a Confederate torpedo and a Confederate Navy official's desk.

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