Setti Warren, former Newton mayor, dies at 55

Setti Warren, a longtime public servant who made history by becoming the state’s first elected Black mayor in 2010, died suddenly at his home on Nov. 2 at age 55.

Warren’s historic mayoral victory in Newton garnered national media attention in the fall of 2009. He served two terms, from 2010 to 2018.

As mayor, he became involved in the work of the MMA, serving on the MMA Board of Directors, as an officer with the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association, and as chair of the MMA Fiscal Policy Committee.

“Setti was a dedicated and talented public servant who practiced politics with the right ends in mind — not personal achievement, but the betterment of the lives of those he was elected to serve,” said MMA Executive Director Adam Chapdelaine. “His legacy will light the way for the next generation of public servants who aspire to leave this world better than they found it.”

After leaving the mayor’s office, Warren took leadership roles at Harvard University, first as executive director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy. In 2022, he became interim director of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, and was named director in 2023, a role he held at the time of his death.

Warren grew up in Newton, where he was class president at Newton North High School for four years. He earned a history degree from Boston College, where he served as president of the undergraduate government. He later received a law degree from Suffolk University.

Warren held numerous roles in the administration of President Bill Clinton, including as special assistant in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, and was the New England regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Later, he served as then-U.S. Sen. John Kerry’s deputy state director, from 2004 to 2008.

An Iraq War veteran, Warren served as a U.S. naval intelligence specialist.

In an email to constituents, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said Warren “left a wonderful legacy” in the city, as he “continuously worked across divides” to improve the Newton schools and school buildings, improve the local economy, reduce the city’s carbon footprint, and create a long-range transportation strategy.

“He drew people to him and turned their energy into positive action,” she wrote.

Warren leaves his wife, Tassy, and their two children, Abigail and John.