Biography
Settled just south of the Boston Neck in 1630, Roxbury, Massachusetts was a community of orchards, farms and timber, and the childhood home of Dr. Joseph Warren. He was born June 11, 1741, the oldest child of Joseph and Mary Warren. He attended the Roxbury Latin School and, at age 14, enrolled at Harvard College. His childhood Puritanical beliefs were challenged, and ultimately influenced, by Harvard professor/astronomer John Winthrop, the Enlightenment teachings of the Rev. Samuel Cooper, and the fraternity he found within Freemasonry. Completing a Harvard-based Masters of Arts in medicine, Warren accepted an apprenticeship with Boston’s Dr. James Lloyd, a highly respected, European-trained, medical pioneer. Dr. Lloyd, a Loyalist Tory, provided political connections that countered Warren’s early Whig leanings.
As Warren launched his own medical practice, Britain’s King George III initiated policies that reigned in the powers of the colonial legislatures while also introducing a litany of new taxes intended to cover Britain’s war debts. Immediately protests arose. Complaints of “taxation without representation” became the call that united the colonies. By age 26, Warren had one of Boston’s fastest-growing medical practices. Treating patients across the entire social, economic, political and faith spectrum left Warren with broad-based trust and respect, even after he became actively and openly a leader within the Whig protest movement. It was Dr. Warren who was called to treat the injured and autopsy the dead following the Boston Massacre of March 1770.
John and Samuel Adams, more senior Whigs, represented Massachusetts at the First Continental Congress, leaving Dr. Warren the leader of the Whig cause at home in Boston. It was Warren’s blend of Freemasonry, the Sons of Liberty, the North End Caucus, the Boston Committee of Correspondence, the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, the burgeoning ranks of his medical practice, and his faith community that placed him in a singular position to see, wholly understand and voice the colonial grievances against the Crown. Warren’s Suffolk Resolves was the written document embraced by the Continental Congress, providing the path by which their resistance would become genuine rebellion.
The rebel spy network centered in Warren’s medical office intercepted intelligence that allowed Warren to send out Paul Revere and William Dawes, warning John Adams, John Hancock and the neighboring militias of the impending British movements on Lexington and Concord. Appointed the rank of major general on June 14, 1775, Warren refused invitations to command the field three days later at the Battle of Bunker/Breeds Hill. He opted instead to fall in with the entrenched troops of Col. William Prescott. If not for running out of ammunition, provincial forces had won the day. In covering the retreat of his men, Dr. Warren was struck beneath the left eye by a single shot that passed through his skull and exited the rear, killing him instantly. British forces claimed Warren’s body as a prize. Venting their wrath, they stripped him, collected his bible and sword, and bayoneted his lifeless corpse repeatedly before irreverently throwing it into the trenches to be buried with the other dead. He was 34 years old.
By April 4th of 1776, the British fleet had vacated Boston. Joseph Warren’s brothers crossed again to Breeds Hill in search of Joseph’s remains. His naked, decomposing corpse was positively identified by the presence of a gold wired dental prosthesis that had been made for Warren by his close friend and metallurgist, Paul Revere. His remains lay in state at the Massachusetts State House until his funeral on April 8th. Today he rests in the Warren family plot at Boston’s Forest Hills Cemetery.
As Warren launched his own medical practice, Britain’s King George III initiated policies that reigned in the powers of the colonial legislatures while also introducing a litany of new taxes intended to cover Britain’s war debts. Immediately protests arose. Complaints of “taxation without representation” became the call that united the colonies. By age 26, Warren had one of Boston’s fastest-growing medical practices. Treating patients across the entire social, economic, political and faith spectrum left Warren with broad-based trust and respect, even after he became actively and openly a leader within the Whig protest movement. It was Dr. Warren who was called to treat the injured and autopsy the dead following the Boston Massacre of March 1770.
John and Samuel Adams, more senior Whigs, represented Massachusetts at the First Continental Congress, leaving Dr. Warren the leader of the Whig cause at home in Boston. It was Warren’s blend of Freemasonry, the Sons of Liberty, the North End Caucus, the Boston Committee of Correspondence, the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, the burgeoning ranks of his medical practice, and his faith community that placed him in a singular position to see, wholly understand and voice the colonial grievances against the Crown. Warren’s Suffolk Resolves was the written document embraced by the Continental Congress, providing the path by which their resistance would become genuine rebellion.
The rebel spy network centered in Warren’s medical office intercepted intelligence that allowed Warren to send out Paul Revere and William Dawes, warning John Adams, John Hancock and the neighboring militias of the impending British movements on Lexington and Concord. Appointed the rank of major general on June 14, 1775, Warren refused invitations to command the field three days later at the Battle of Bunker/Breeds Hill. He opted instead to fall in with the entrenched troops of Col. William Prescott. If not for running out of ammunition, provincial forces had won the day. In covering the retreat of his men, Dr. Warren was struck beneath the left eye by a single shot that passed through his skull and exited the rear, killing him instantly. British forces claimed Warren’s body as a prize. Venting their wrath, they stripped him, collected his bible and sword, and bayoneted his lifeless corpse repeatedly before irreverently throwing it into the trenches to be buried with the other dead. He was 34 years old.
By April 4th of 1776, the British fleet had vacated Boston. Joseph Warren’s brothers crossed again to Breeds Hill in search of Joseph’s remains. His naked, decomposing corpse was positively identified by the presence of a gold wired dental prosthesis that had been made for Warren by his close friend and metallurgist, Paul Revere. His remains lay in state at the Massachusetts State House until his funeral on April 8th. Today he rests in the Warren family plot at Boston’s Forest Hills Cemetery.
Joseph Warren Timeline
- June 11, 1741- Warren born- Roxbury, MA
- 1751- Warren enters Roxbury Latin School
- July 1755- Warren leaves for Cambridge and testing at Harvard College
- October 25, 1755- Warren’s father falls during apple harvest, breaks neck and dies
- 1759- Warren returns to Roxbury
- Spring 1760- Warren accepts position as Master Roxbury Latin School
- Roughly 1760-1762- Warren completes Harvard Master of Arts degree in medicine and enters apprenticeship with Boston’s Dr. James Lloyd
- October 1760- King George II dies. His grandson becomes George III
- Spring 1763- Warren completes apprenticeship with Dr. Lloyd and starts his own medical practice
- 1764- Smallpox outbreak- Warren connects with John Adams while delivering inoculation.
- April 1764- British enact Sugar Act
- September 6, 1764- Warren marries Elizabeth “Betsy” Hooton
- November 1764- Grandmother Mary Stevens dies. Warren boycotts British products in paying for her funeral arrangements. Encourages others to do the same.
- March 1765- British impose Stamp Act, a direct tax on all printed materials. Served to unite all classes throughout the colonies in protest.
- October 7, 1765- Warren, writing under pseudonym “B.W.” has article printed in radical leaning Boston Gazette. Encourages people to rise up in legal protest.
- Sept 1767- Imposition of Townshend Acts- taxes on paper, paint, glass, silk, tea. Samuel Adams composes circular letter that travels throughout the colonies encouraging everyone to join in a boycott of British goods. Results in threat of Massachusetts Common Court being dissolved unless letter were to be rescinded. Letter not rescinded. Common Court dissolved. Warren openly writes in his own name with criticism of Governor in Boston Gazette. Renegade provincial convention called to address and plan within situation.
- October 1768- General Gage and British troops arrive in Boston. Bernard recalled as Governor and replaced by one of Dr. Warren’s patients, Thomas Hutchinson. Relationship changes as Hutchinson begins to not trust Warren as he once did.
- February 1770- Boycott was weakening. Violent protests arose against merchants. Christopher Seider, school boy, shot and killed. Huge funeral.
- March 5, 1770- Boston Massacre unfolds. British withdraw troops onto island to ease tension. Warren part of committee who traces escalation straight back to Stamp Act in 1765.
- March 1772- With Townshend Acts rescinded and troops off shore, tensions had eased, but Warren called upon to reignite fire in speaking on 2nd anniversary of Boston Massacre.
- April 27, 1773- Betsy Warren dies.
- May 1773- Parliament passes Tea Act
- December 16, 1773- Boston Tea Party
- March 1774- British impose Boston Port Act, closing Boston Harbor
- May 1774- General Howe replaces Hutchinson as Governor- genuine military rule in Boston.
- 1774- Warren connects with Mercy Scollay
- 1774- with Boston Town Meetings prevented by Howe, Warren calls for convening of Continental Congress.
- September 1774- Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia
- September 1774- County delegates meet in Warren’s home Suffolk County. Warren chairman of convention. Considered a document written by Warren to define a path by which their resistance would become rebellion. Came to be known as the Suffolk Resolves. Adopted on September 9th.
- October 11- Massachusetts Provincial Congress meets, a response to closure of General Court. Warren chosen to represent Boston. The Congress appoints a Committee of Safety to coordinate military readiness. Warren appointed as one of eight on committee.
- March 1775- Warren speaks on 5th Anniversary of Boston Massacre. Tensions at fever pitch.
- April 1775- Lexington and Concord- William Dawes, Paul Revere sent to warn Adams and Hancock.
- May 2, 1775- Warren elected President of 2nd Massachusetts Provincial Congress. Still chair of Committee of Safety
- June 14th- Warren appointed rank of Major General by Massachusetts Provincial Congress.
- June 17, 1775- Warren’s network had picked up news that Howe intended to move out of Boston on Bunker Hill and Dorchester Heights. Provincial troops reinforced Breeds Hill. Howe attacks Breeds Hill. Warren arrives. Offered command by General Israel Putnam. Refused. Offered command by Colonel William Prescott. Refused. Fell in with Prescott’s men in trenches. Killed with single shot defending his men’s retreat after they ran out of ammunition.
- April 8, 1776- funeral for Warren at King’s Chapel
- 1825- Warren reburied alongside brother John at St. Paul Church Boston
- 1855- Buried a third time in Warren family plot at Roxbury Forest Hills Cemetery.
About the Portrait
About the portrait painted of Dr. Joseph Warren by John Singleton Copley from Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution's Lost Hero. This biography is the most recent work focused on Joseph Warren and written by Christian DiSpigna.
"The Copley portrait is the first known image ever created of Warren and as such bears closer study for a look at him in the prime of his career. That Warren could command a portrait by Copley was itself evidence of his elevated social rank. Fetching high fees and often booked up to a year in advance, the "Tory Painter" as patriots often called Copley, had painted some of "the best works a colonial American artist had ever produced." His extensive body of work would comprise more than 350 portraits, including many of Warren's political associates, patients, and friends. For years Warren was close to Copley and his family; in 1772, he would deliver Copley's son.
A portrait of such high quality required much intimate sitting time, with the artist carefully studying his subject. Copley captured, in neoclassical style, a young, robust, genteel, and determined Dr. Warren. Years later, after Warren's death, frontispieces, paintings, engravings, and sketches would depict him as the war general he became, wearing epaulettes and holding a musket or sword.
But the Copley portrait captures Warren the professional, the physician who helped cure the sick. He sits relaxed on a Queen Anne side chair, legs spread apart, his pose informal with the buttons on his alabaster silk waistcoat undone, allowing the ruffle to protrude. He leans somewhat forward, engaging his audience to come closer. His left arm covers anatomical sketches and a leather book - perhaps a medical journal or daybook - while his right hand rests upon his knee. The sketches, the most obvious emblem of Warren's profession, are of two skulls: one whole and one that's been sawed apart. The drawings are ironic considering Warren's ultimate fate, and subsequent reburials are reminiscent of a memento mori. His professional standing as a doctor is also represented by his black broadcloth coat, partly draped over his right arm. His white silk stockings fastened with silver knee buckles, the embroidered buttons, ruffled cuffs, white silk-lined coat, and white wig further signify the doctor's high social status. His hands appear gracile and gentle - serving him well when delivering a baby - yet firm and steady enough for the grisly amputations he would perform without anesthesia. This doctor had already saved many lives.
As in all of Copley's paintings of this era, his subject's sealed lips hint of the strict, old-world Puritan culture marked by sumptuary laws. But the pomposity, haughtiness, and stern demeanor evident in portraits of Warren's peers are absent here. Warren's deep slate blue eyes betray his naturally warm and friendly disposition. His glance is somewhat askew as he gazes slightly to his left, casting a shadow over part of his face. He is ensconced in mystery, surrounded by lush fabrics of matching colors. Copley used these symbols - from the draped tablecloth and background curtain to the chair on which he sits - to suggest the doctor's lofty taste and bestow on him an air of dignity. The outside view to the left is barely visible but resembles a bucolic scene of a rolling grass hill beneath a blue sky, with perhaps the bustling seaport of Boston in the far background. The base of the pillar to his right is a classical symbol of strength and stability. Warren's face bears no visible marks or pox scars. It appears smooth and clean-shaven, as was the custom for civilized men of the day. In an era when full-immersion bathing was generally limited to a few times a year, the doctor is always described as looking clean and well polished.
His fair skin was much-desired for the period, as many colonists purposely concealed themselves from the sun, and women sometimes wore flour-based cosmetics to produce a pure white complexion. Like his peers, Warren spoke with a heavy nasal twang similar to modern dialects indigenous to the Northeast. When John Adams described him as "a pretty, tall, genteel, fair faced young gentleman," Warren was still just twenty-three years old. Considerably taller than the average person of the time, he stood just above six feet, and he exuded a rare charm, complemented by his good looks, which were acknowledged when 'the ladies pronounced him handsome.' "
"The Copley portrait is the first known image ever created of Warren and as such bears closer study for a look at him in the prime of his career. That Warren could command a portrait by Copley was itself evidence of his elevated social rank. Fetching high fees and often booked up to a year in advance, the "Tory Painter" as patriots often called Copley, had painted some of "the best works a colonial American artist had ever produced." His extensive body of work would comprise more than 350 portraits, including many of Warren's political associates, patients, and friends. For years Warren was close to Copley and his family; in 1772, he would deliver Copley's son.
A portrait of such high quality required much intimate sitting time, with the artist carefully studying his subject. Copley captured, in neoclassical style, a young, robust, genteel, and determined Dr. Warren. Years later, after Warren's death, frontispieces, paintings, engravings, and sketches would depict him as the war general he became, wearing epaulettes and holding a musket or sword.
But the Copley portrait captures Warren the professional, the physician who helped cure the sick. He sits relaxed on a Queen Anne side chair, legs spread apart, his pose informal with the buttons on his alabaster silk waistcoat undone, allowing the ruffle to protrude. He leans somewhat forward, engaging his audience to come closer. His left arm covers anatomical sketches and a leather book - perhaps a medical journal or daybook - while his right hand rests upon his knee. The sketches, the most obvious emblem of Warren's profession, are of two skulls: one whole and one that's been sawed apart. The drawings are ironic considering Warren's ultimate fate, and subsequent reburials are reminiscent of a memento mori. His professional standing as a doctor is also represented by his black broadcloth coat, partly draped over his right arm. His white silk stockings fastened with silver knee buckles, the embroidered buttons, ruffled cuffs, white silk-lined coat, and white wig further signify the doctor's high social status. His hands appear gracile and gentle - serving him well when delivering a baby - yet firm and steady enough for the grisly amputations he would perform without anesthesia. This doctor had already saved many lives.
As in all of Copley's paintings of this era, his subject's sealed lips hint of the strict, old-world Puritan culture marked by sumptuary laws. But the pomposity, haughtiness, and stern demeanor evident in portraits of Warren's peers are absent here. Warren's deep slate blue eyes betray his naturally warm and friendly disposition. His glance is somewhat askew as he gazes slightly to his left, casting a shadow over part of his face. He is ensconced in mystery, surrounded by lush fabrics of matching colors. Copley used these symbols - from the draped tablecloth and background curtain to the chair on which he sits - to suggest the doctor's lofty taste and bestow on him an air of dignity. The outside view to the left is barely visible but resembles a bucolic scene of a rolling grass hill beneath a blue sky, with perhaps the bustling seaport of Boston in the far background. The base of the pillar to his right is a classical symbol of strength and stability. Warren's face bears no visible marks or pox scars. It appears smooth and clean-shaven, as was the custom for civilized men of the day. In an era when full-immersion bathing was generally limited to a few times a year, the doctor is always described as looking clean and well polished.
His fair skin was much-desired for the period, as many colonists purposely concealed themselves from the sun, and women sometimes wore flour-based cosmetics to produce a pure white complexion. Like his peers, Warren spoke with a heavy nasal twang similar to modern dialects indigenous to the Northeast. When John Adams described him as "a pretty, tall, genteel, fair faced young gentleman," Warren was still just twenty-three years old. Considerably taller than the average person of the time, he stood just above six feet, and he exuded a rare charm, complemented by his good looks, which were acknowledged when 'the ladies pronounced him handsome.' "
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