The statue of Dr. Joseph Warren at Forest Hills Cemetery was donated by the Freemasons of Massachusetts
In 1818 John Adams wrote, “But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced.” Dr. Joseph Warren was one of the most fervent and active revolutionaries both behind the scenes and on the front lines in the decade leading to American independence. He is perhaps best remembered for sending Paul Revere and William Dawes on their midnight rides and as the first American martyr killed in action during the battle of Bunker Hill...however Warren's resistance activities against Crown rule cannot be overstated.
Considered a “Founding Grandfather” Warren rose to become a well-connected propagandist, polemicist, author, orator, professor, and ultimately a major general as well as a physician, mentor, and spymaster. He served as President of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, chairman of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, leader of the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the North End Caucus, and Grand Master of Ancient Scottish Rite Masons in North America. Warren delivered two fiery Boston Massacre orations, helped to plan the Boston Tea Party, and authored the Suffolk Resolves—a declaration of rights and grievances against Great
Warren
Meet Dr. Warren
Britain. While his compatriots were attending the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Warren fought in every battle and skirmish from Lexington and Concord to Bunker Hill.
Dying a year before the Declaration of Independence, Warren’s contributions to the causes of freedom and liberty have been obscured over the centuries. One of the most migratory corpses of all the founders, his remains were moved at least four times over an eight-decade period and for well over a century it was falsely believed that his direct family line had gone extinct. Warren was not only a national founding father, but also the founder of a distinguished military and medical family dynasty that continues to the present day. Using his effective arsenal of voice, pen and sword, Dr. Joseph Warren helped push thirteen colonies towards independence. Without him, the rebellion would have likely faltered, possibly ending in failure. The values and principles he championed endure, while his story remains a tale of inspiration.