Cornelius Warren

Cornelius Warren (March 15, 1790 – July 28, 1849) was an American politician, lawyer, and judge who served as a United States Representative from New York from 1847 to 1849. A member of the Whig Party, he participated in the national legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his New York constituents in the Thirtieth Congress.

Warren was born on March 15, 1790, in Phillipstown, Putnam County, New York. Little is recorded about his early family background, but he pursued the customary preparatory studies of the period, which provided the foundation for his later legal and political career. Growing up in what was then a largely rural part of New York State, he came of age in the early years of the republic, a context that shaped his later public service.

After completing his preparatory education, Warren studied law, following the then-standard practice of reading law rather than attending a formal law school. He was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in New York. His legal work established him as a figure of local prominence and led naturally to involvement in public affairs. In addition to his professional practice, he served in local offices, including as a Justice of the Peace, a role that combined judicial and administrative responsibilities at the town level and reflected the confidence placed in him by his community.

Warren’s judicial career advanced when he was appointed judge of the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas in 1841. He served on that court until 1843, presiding over civil matters and contributing to the administration of justice in the county. His tenure on the Court of Common Pleas further enhanced his reputation as a jurist and public servant and provided him with experience in interpreting and applying the law that would inform his later legislative work.

In national politics, Warren was elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth Congress, representing New York in the United States House of Representatives. He held office from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1849, serving one full term. As a member of the Whig Party representing New York, he contributed to the legislative process during a period marked by debates over territorial expansion, economic policy, and the balance of power between free and slave states. During his time in Congress, Warren participated in the democratic process and worked to represent the interests and concerns of his constituents, aligning with Whig principles that generally favored congressional supremacy, economic development, and internal improvements.

After completing his term in Congress in 1849, Warren did not return to national office. He remained identified with the legal and civic life of his region in New York. His family also maintained connections to state politics: his daughter, Hannah M. Warren, married Charles A. Fowler, who later served as a New York State senator, extending the family’s involvement in public service beyond Warren’s own career.

Cornelius Warren died on July 28, 1849, in Cold Spring, New York, in Putnam County. He was interred in the Old Cemetery at Cold Spring. His career as a lawyer, local official, county judge, and one-term Whig member of Congress reflected the path of many nineteenth-century American public figures who rose from local legal practice to positions of broader responsibility in state and national government.