Also in 1912, Warren was named county attorney for Beaufort County, North Carolina, 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 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 acts. In 1920, Warren succeeded in preventing a Senate vote on ratification of the 19th Amendment, which would guarantee women's suffrage (nevertheless, Tennessee ratified the amendment the next day, making the amendment effective throughout the country).[2]
Warren left Congress to accept the post of Comptroller General of the United States, serving in that role for almost fourteen years, until May 1, 1954. President Franklin Roosevelt had offered Warren the post in 1936 and in 1938 but he had declined it. As Comptroller General, Warren led the General Accounting Office through World War II and worked with the Truman Committee to outlaw kickbacks by subcontractors to defense contractors. He oversaw an increase in the agency's workforce and extensively reorganized GAO.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
