Willis D. P. Warren, county surveyor of Macoupin county and prominently
known in Illinois as a civil engineer of demonstrated ability, is a native
of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, born December 19, 1882. At the age of eight
years he became a resident of Texas and after securing a common school
education in the Denton high school, from which he was graduated in 1899, he
became a student in the engineering department of the University of Texas.
He was graduated from that institution in 1906 with the degree of C. E. He
was made a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity while at the university
and was one of the organizers of the famous “Hickey Club.”
In 1902
and 1903 Mr. Warren assisted in the location and construction of railways in
Texas, Indian Territory, Arkansas and Illinois, thus receiving an
introduction to a line of work for which he has shown special talent. Fie
was appointed resident engineer of the Illinois Traction System in 1905 and
placed in charge of railroad construction work south of Bloomington. In July
of the year following he took charge of the construction work of the system
west of Bloomington and acted as resident engineer on eighteen miles of
line, also having charge of the construction of two subways in Bloomington,
under the Chicago & Alton and Lake Erie & Western Railways respectively. In
1907 he was engineer on heavy construction work between Lincoln and Mackinaw
and was in charge of the construction of two subways at Mackinaw and of the
overhead crossing near Minier.
From April, 1908, to April, 1910, Mr.
Warren was located at Gillespie, Macoupin county, as chief engineer of the
Superior Coal Company, having the task assigned of organizing an engineering
force to handle the large mines of the company and also of equipping an
office in which could be gathered the engineering data so important in the
development of a large coal field. In 1910 he settled at Carlinville and
shortly afterwards in the same year was elected county surveyor of Macoupin
county, a position which he has since filled. Upon coming to Carlinville he
entered into partnership with S. T. Morse under the title of The
Morse-Warren Engineering Company, of which he is an active member. During
the winter of 1910-1911 he was engaged in compiling and publishing a new
county atlas which was issued by The Morse-Warren Engineering Company and is
pronounced the best atlas of the kind that has as yet been published. Since
the spring of 1911 he has served very acceptably as city engineer of
Carlinville, under appointment by the new mayor.
In May, 1908, Mr.
Warren was married to Miss Anna Funk, of Bloomington, Illinois, who has
proved indeed a sympathetic and helpful companion. As county surveyor he has
faithfully performed his duty, evincing an interest in the work and an
energy and effectiveness in meeting the wants of taxpayers, which have
elicited the warmest approval. He has made a careful study of the resources
of Macoupin county and is of the opinion that this county has greater
possibilities of development in the immediate future than any other county
of the state. On this account and also because of business and social ties
he has selected Macoupin county as his permanent abode.
Extracted 18 May 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 20-21.
Macoupin County ILGenWeb Copyright
Design by
Templates in Time
This page was last updated
07/01/2022