Warren, Peter, sir, 1703-1752

British naval officer, finally vice-admiral. Owner of extensive landholdings in New York City and New York State. Married Susannah De Lancey; uncle of Sir William Johnson.

Warren, British naval officer, most remembered for his capture of Fort Louisbourg, N.S., Canada in 1745.

Peter Warren (1703/4-1752) was born in Ireland to Michael Warren and Catherine Aylmer. He entered the navy in 1716, became a lieutenant in 1723, and by 1728 he was captain of the Grafton . In his early career he served in the waters off Ireland and in the Atlantic between North Africa and the West Indies. From 1728 to 1740, the navy stationed Warren in Halifax, Boston, New York, and Charleston, South Carolina. In 1731, Warren married Susannah DeLancey, daughter of Stephen DeLancey of New York; they had six children.

During the war between Britain and Spain, Warren captained ships at St. Augustine, Florida, and Jamaica, and commanded a small squadron based at Antigua. After the outbreak of war with France in 1744, Warren and his squadron captured many French ships in the West Indies. His success brought him notoriety in England and a sizable fortune from prize money. In 1745 his squadron, along with a small contingent of ships from New England, blockaded and eventually captured the French fortress at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. After the victory, Warren was promoted to rear admiral and was appointed Governor of Cape Breton, a post which he left in June 1746. That summer he collaborated on a plan with Massachusetts Governor William Shirley to attack French forces in Canada. In 1747 he returned to England and was promoted to vice admiral, but ill-health kept him from the sea. France and England started peace talks before his plan to take Quebec could be realized. The city of Westminster elected him to parliament later in 1747. By this time, he was one of the richest men in England and owned land in London, Hampshire, Manhattan, and on the frontier of New York (which was managed by his nephew William Johnson). Warren was also an active moneylender in New York and New England. He used his wealth for charitable causes in England and America, including building churches and hospitals. He died in Dublin in 1752.