wertheim is a graduate of yale university, where the yale political union elected him president and then speaker. representing the yale debate association, he and partner matt wolf won the 1990 world universities debating championship held at the glasgow university union in scotland, becoming the first americans to do so. in 1990, he and debate partner austan goolsbee placed second at the apda national debating championship. at yale, he was also a member of the secret society skull and bones.