Former Newton Mayor Setti Warren dies ‘unexpectedly’ at 55

Local News

“I am shocked. And I have called his phone and texted him repeatedly upon learning this devastating news as it was easier to be in denial,” Representative Ayanna Pressley wrote on social media.

Setti Warren, a longtime public servant who made history when he was elected mayor of Newton in 2009, has died at 55.

“Setti was a beloved member of our community, and we are devastated by this heartbreaking news,” Harvard Kennedy School Dean Jeremy M. Weinstein and Harvard College Dean David Deming said in an online announcement of his death posted Sunday. “It’s often said that the measure of a person’s life is found in their service to others—and by that standard, Setti’s life stands as an example to us all.”

Warren became the first African American popularly elected to lead a city in Massachusetts when he was elected mayor of Newton in 2009, a position he held until 2018. 

“Setti loved Newton, the community where he grew up, and combined that love with a passion for public service and an unshakeable belief that government can be a force for good,” Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said Sunday in an email to constituents about Warren. 

Warren died “unexpectedly at his home in Newton,” on Sunday, Fuller said. A cause of death has not been announced.

As mayor, Warren invested in Newton’s public schools, contributed to long-term planning around the city’s transportation strategy, reduced the city’s carbon footprint, and kindled the growth of Newton’s “innovation economy,” Fuller said.

Before serving as mayor, Warren served in President Bill Clinton’s administration and did a tour of duty in Iraq as an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve. He also worked for Senator John Kerry and was the New England regional director for FEMA. 

“What I feel most passionate about is making people’s lives better, and I wanted to do it right here in my own community particularly after experiencing Iraq,” Warren told The New York Times for a 2009 story about his historic election.

Most recently, Warren was the Director of the Institute of Politics and a lecturer in public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School. 

“In these roles, he will be remembered as a visionary and tireless leader who helped steer these institutions as they hosted prominent speakers and fellows from across the political divide, conducted groundbreaking research, and fostered debate and engagement on the most challenging issues of our time. Most of all, he will be remembered at Harvard by the many students he helped to teach, nurture, and mentor,” Weinstein and Deming wrote.

Warren left behind a wife, Tassy, and two children, Abigail and John.

“He adorned the Mayor’s office with drawings by Abigail and John and surrounded himself there with their photographs,” Fully wrote.

Massachusetts politicians took to social media Sunday evening to share messages of grief at Warren’s death.

Warren should be remembered not just as a dedicated Democrat and public servant but as a “decent, kind, and good man,” Representative Ayanna Pressley wrote on X.

“We communicated just last night. I am shocked. And I have called his phone and texted him repeatedly upon learning this devastating news as it was easier to be in denial,” she said.

Representative Jake Auchincloss, a Democrat from Newton, said Warren’s style of door-to-door campaigning inspired his own first campaign, for Newton City Council.

“Massachusetts has lost a bright light much too young. … May his life and work inspire for years to come,” Auchincloss wrote on X.