During World War I, Warburton served as chargé d'affaires for President Wilson in London from 1914 until 1917 when he became one of General Pershing's aides de camp in Paris with the rank of major.

He learned news of the disaster while visiting Philadelphia, but his return trip to Palm Beach took five days due to the storm's movement up the East Coast of the United States.

[8] Within a week of the 1928 hurricane, Warburton announced that the storm would not affect the winter season in Palm Beach,[7] although the famous Royal Poinciana Hotel sustained enough damage that it was unable to reopen until 1929.

[10] Warburton joined other local officials, such as West Palm Beach mayor Vincent Oaksmith and Miami mayor E. G. Sewell in convincing the Florida Legislature and United States Congress to adopt flood control measures at Lake Okeechobee,[11] as the storm claimed at least 2,500 lives, most of them after wind-driven waves breached existing levees and swamped nearby farming communities.

[13] However, he resigned in November of that year after suffering significant financial losses in the Wall Street crash and accepting year-round work with EF Hutton.