Mary Malvina Wentworth was born to Harriet Delia Bird and Charles Albert Wentworth Feb. 17, 1884 in Rockland, Maine. She graduated from Rockland High School in 1901 an received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in 1905. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, Wentworth taught in Maine for two years. Wentworth continued her education and attended the University of California. She received her M.A. in 1910. In 1924 Wentworth received her doctorate from Harvard University. In between her studies at the University of California and Harvard University, Wentworth taught at Mills College and Seminary in California, as well as in the Los Angeles secondary schools. While studying at Harvard University she worked as a psychologist at Boston State Hospital and Taunton State Hospital. In 1925 she became a professor of psychology and education at Mount Holyoke College. In 1928, Wentworth left her position at Mount Holyoke College, married Dr. James McConaughy and took a position at Swarthmore College. Her husband died in 1934. In 1933, McConaughy took a position at Rutgers University, where she remained until her retirement in 1954. She died on June 15, 1988 at the age of one hundred and four.
From the guide to the McConaughy papers MS 0706., 1894-1988., (Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections)