[1] Upon graduation he worked at the Perth Amboy Evening News, eventually becoming sports editor (replacing future Governor of New Jersey Harold Hoffman).
[3] In World War I he served in the United States Army, entering as a private and receiving an honorable discharge as a lieutenant.
[3] In 1928 he was appointed City Attorney of Perth Amboy, and was elected Democratic chairman for Middlesex County in the same year.
The child's body was found two months later a few miles from the Lindberghs' home, but the arrest of Bruno Hauptmann, a German carpenter, was not made until September 19, 1934.
[3] Wilentz had no previous experience in trying criminal cases, but he was certain he could secure the conviction and execution of Hauptmann, whom he called "Public Enemy Number One of the World.
His appeals were rejected, despite a temporary reprieve from Governor Harold G. Hoffman, who ordered the New Jersey Board of Pardons to review the case.
In 1981 Hauptmann's widow, Anna, unsuccessfully sought to overturn the guilty verdict, requesting $100 million in damages from Wilentz and the state, claiming false prosecution.
Warren W. Wilentz was the Democratic candidate for United States Senate in 1966, losing to the incumbent Clifford P. Case.