Lindsay Warren dies at 91
By From staff reports
Published in News on April 12, 2016 1:46 PM
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Lindsay Warren
Noted Goldsboro attorney and former state Sen. Lindsay Warren died Monday at Kitty Askins Hospice Center.
He was 91.
Warren, a native of Washington, N.C., was a fourth generation lawyer who had practiced law in Goldsboro since the 1950s. He was retired.
While a member of the legislature, Warren served as chairman of a commission that revamped the state's legal system. With some changes, it is the system that remains in effect today.
He was past president of the North Carolina Bar Association and was recognized in 2011 as a recipient of the North Carolina Society Award, joining such state luminaries as William Friday, Charles Kuralt, Hugh Morton and Paul Green. The society is dedicated to the knowledge and preservation of the state's heritage.
"It was my privilege to practice law with my friend Lindsay Warren, for 20 years," said Goldsboro attorney John Walston. "Mr. Warren's keen legal mind and service to his clients, profession and the state of North Carolina were an inspiration to all who knew him. I especially admired Mr. Warren's calm and steady presence; in the 35 years I knew him I never saw Mr. Warren lose his confidence or his patience. Our firm mourns his loss and celebrates his life."
"Lindsay Warren was a man of impeccable character," said Goldsboro attorney Shelby Benton, the current president of the state Bar Association. "He dedicated his life to public service. But most importantly he was a mentor and friend to me for more than 30 years."
As a devoted historian, Warren was chosen by then-Gov. Jim Hunt to head a group that oversaw the observance of the state's 400th anniversary.
Warren, a soft-spoken man with a wry sense of humor, also served as vice chairman of the group that oversaw the creation of the consolidated University of North Carolina system.
Robert Rader, chief district court judge in Wake County, noted that this is the 50th year of the revamped court system. Before the commission headed by Warren rewrote the rules that the courts go by, the state's courts were a "hodgepodge," of local courts, he said.
"Lindsay was instrumental in the reconstruction of the court system," Rader said. "It was a monumental undertaking. His leadership skills and dedication led to the court system we have today, which is one of the best in the nation.
"He was a true statesman, a true leader. He was highly regarded by those of us in the court system. He was a great man."
Warren's father, Lindsay Carter Warren, was a United States congressman who was chosen by President Franklin Roosevelt to be controller general of the U.S., a federal department now known as the General Accounting Office.