Lindsay Carter Warren (December 16, 1889 – December 28, 1976) was a Democratic politician who served as a

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

between 1925 and 1940 and the third

comptroller general of the United States The comptroller general of the United States is the director of the Government Accountability Office (GAO, formerly known as the General Accounting Office), a legislative-branch agency established by Congress in 1921 to ensure the fiscal and man ...

from 1940 to 1954.

Early life and education

Born in

Washington, North Carolina Washington is a city in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States, located on the northern bank of the Pamlico River. The population was 9,875 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Beaufort County. It is c ...

, Warren was the son of prominent lawyer Charles F. Warren and the grandson of politician Edward J. Warren. Warren studied at Bingham School in

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populous city in Western North Carolina a ...

from 1903 to 1906. He attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

from 1906 to 1908 and then from 1911 to 1912 (the second time studying law). He was admitted to the bar in 1912 and practiced law in his hometown of Washington.

Political career

Also in 1912, Warren was named county attorney for

Beaufort County, North Carolina Beaufort County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 44,652. Its county seat is Washington, North Carolina, Washington. The co ...

, and elected the chairman of the executive committee for the county Democratic Party; he would hold both posts until 1925. He was elected to the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

in 1917 and 1919, serving as Senate president pro tem in 1919 and 1920, and as the chair of the special legislative commission on

workmen's compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...

acts. In 1920, Warren succeeded in preventing a Senate vote on ratification of the 19th Amendment, which would guarantee

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

(nevertheless,

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

ratified the amendment the next day, making the amendment effective throughout the country). In 1923, Warren was sent to the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

for a single term before being elected, in 1924, to the

69th United States Congress The 69th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1925, ...

. He was re-elected seven times, serving in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from March 4, 1925 until November 1, 1940, when he resigned from Congress. During the 72nd through 76th Congresses, he was chairman of the Committee on Accounts. He was also a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

s in 1932 and 1940, and chaired the North Carolina Democratic Convention in 1930 and 1934.

Comptroller General

Warren left Congress to accept the post of

Comptroller General of the United States The comptroller general of the United States is the director of the Government Accountability Office (GAO, formerly known as the General Accounting Office), a legislative-branch agency established by Congress in 1921 to ensure the fiscal and man ...

, serving in that role for almost fourteen years, until May 1, 1954. President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

had offered Warren the post in 1936 and in 1938 but he had declined it. As Comptroller General, Warren led the

General Accounting Office The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the sup ...

through

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and worked with the

Truman Committee The Truman Committee, formally known as the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program, was a United States Congressional investigative body, headed by Senator Harry S. Truman. The bipartisan special committee was for ...

to outlaw kickbacks by subcontractors to defense contractors. He oversaw an increase in the agency's workforce and extensively reorganized GAO.

Later life and legacy

Warren returned to the North Carolina House of Representatives for two additional terms in 1959 and 1961, and died in 1976 in his hometown of Washington, North Carolina. His son, Lindsay, Jr., followed his father into law and into the North Carolina legislature. A 2.8-mile bridge, one of the longest in North Carolina, was built in 1960 over the Alligator River and is named in honor of Warren. The M/V Lindsay Warren, a 25 car ferry, was also named for him. The 112 ft. vessel was built in 1970 for the

North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division The North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division is a branch of NCDOT that is responsible for the operation of over two dozen ferry services that transport passengers and vehicles to several islands along the Outer Banks of North Car ...

to cross

Hatteras Inlet Hatteras Inlet is an estuary in North Carolina, located along the Outer Banks, separating Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pamlico Sound. Hatteras Inlet is located entirely within Hyde County, North Car ...

between Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands on the outer banks of North Carolina. The M/V Lindsay Warren was taken out of service and sold by NCDOT. Now renamed Marissa Mae Nicole it operates on

Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. T ...

References

"Watchdog," ''Time'' magazine, from 1940
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warren, Lindsay Carter 1889 births 1976 deaths Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party North Carolina state senators Comptrollers general of the United States Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina People from Washington, North Carolina 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly