Lindsay Carter Warren
(Dec. 16, 1889 - Dec. 28, 1976)
[Source: Washington and the Pamlico by Ursula Fogleman Loy; pgs. 409-411]
Mr. Warren was born on December 16, 1889 in Washington , N. C. He was the son of Charles Frederic Warren and Elizabeth Mutter Blount. Educated at Bingham Academy in Asheville, N. C. and at the University of North Carolina, he was admitted to the Bar in 1912. In 1916 he was married to Emily Harris. There are three children Emily Carter (Mrs. Dudley Jones) and two sons, Lindsay, Jr. and Charles, both of whom are lawyers.
Mr. Warren, an active Democrat, was elected County Attorney of Beaufort County at the beginning of his legal career. Moving swiftly thereafter, he served as president pro tempore of the State Senate, keynoter of the Democratic State Convention, delegate to the Democratic National Convention, trustee of the University and member of the Constitutional Commission. After service in the N. C. General Assembly, one term in the House and two in the Senate, he ran for Congress in 1925 and won the Democratic nomination hands down against four opponents. For sixteen years he served the First Congressional District and had no opposition. The following explanation was given by an old associate: Lindsay conducted politics on personal contacts, not issues. He knew almost every voter by his first name.
His service began in 1925 and he served continuously until November 1, 1940, when he resigned to accept an appointment from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to become Comptroller General of the United States.
He rose to a position of leadership in the House after brief tenure. He was a close friend and confidant of John Nance Garner who was elected Speaker of the House in 1930 and Vice President in 1932. During the first two administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Warren presided over many pieces of important legislation including the Reconstruction Finance Corporation Act, the Holding Company Act, the Selective Service Act and numerous appropriation and revenue measures. He was author and sponsor of the 1939 Reorganization Act, and of the Congressional Apportionment Act which is still in effect. He also was the author and sponsor of the Cape Hatteras Seashore Park Bill which authorized the first National Seashore Park in America. He was in the forefront of the fight for the Agriculture Adjustment Act of 1936.
For a number of years he served as Chairman of the House Committee on Accounts. He also served on the House Roads and Merchant Marine Committees. During his congressional career Mr. Warren showed great interest in agriculture, rivers and harbors, roads and Coast Guard legislation. He was a champion of efficiency in government and in reorganization of the Executive Branch. He maintained a close relationship with his constituents who resided in fourteen eastern North Carolina counties. Among other projects, he was a strong supporter of the Fort Raleigh project on Roanoke Island and obtained the appropriation for the Wright Memorial at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. In 1937 Life Magazine named Warren one of the ten most able and influential members of the House.
When his close friend, Speaker William B. Bankhead died, Warren was named Acting Majority Leader of the House. Had he remained in Congress he would have undoubtedly been elected to serve permanently as Speaker, but in 1940, he became Comptroller General of the United States.
After refusing President Roosevelt's call to be director of the General Accounting Office in 1936, again in 1938, and four times in 1940, he finally said —Yes— to the President's persistence. He was confirmed July 31, 1940, and took the oath of office on November 1, 1940.
As Comptroller General he was given the title "The Watch Dog of Federal Spending". He improved and modernized government accounting and financial reporting.
When he was appointed Comptroller General the Senate paid him the unusual compliment of sending his nomination directly to the floor, bypassing the usual Committee investigation.
One of Beaufort County's memorable days was that of October 25, 1940, when Washington declared a "Lindsay Warren Day". Supporters from every section of the First Congressional District gathered to pay tribute to the service which Lindsay Warren had rendered for sixteen years as their Congressman.
After a notable career in Congress, where he really preferred to stay, Lindsay Warren functioned brilliantly on the national level. He made the Comptroller's office a model of efficiency and economy in an era of government waste. (Information furnished by Lindsay C. Warren, Jr.)
© 2010 Kay Midgett Sheppard