James Warburton, immigrated to Prince Edward Island from Ireland in 1834, after receiving the appointment of Land Agent to Sir Walsh, absentee landlord of Township 11.

In 1839, he was appointed commissioner of roads and bridges for District #1, and in 1844 he became Sheriff of Prince County. In 1846 he once again ran for election, and after his opponent withdrew, ten minutes before the polls closed, he was elected to the Colonial Assembly as a representative of the First Electoral District of Prince County.

In 1850, Warburton was elected to serve First Prince District. He served for three legislative sessions in the Assembly, and in 1851 he was appointed Colonial Sectary of Prince Edward Island, a position he held until 1853. Warburton was elected in 1853, 1854, 1858 but lost in 1859 and was re-elected in 1863, but this time in Third Prince.

Throughout the stormy confederation debate of the 1860's Warburton held his ground, and denounced the idea of a Federal Union. He believed that representation by population would leave the tiny colony without voice or power in the larger union. Under the larger union he felt that the Island legislature would become a "useless bauble, with no power save that of taxing the people." Warburton went as far as to say: " I myself shall use all my endeavors against it (confederation), they can readily get someone else to represent them." As a result he and other Island Politicians were responsible from keeping the Island out of the original federal union of 1867.

James Warburton and his family, were well respected and liked in the Lot 11 Township. Before and after his death many members of the community showed there respect and admiration for him and his family by giving one or more of there children the Christian name of Warburton.