NEWTON — Former Newton Mayor Setti Warren, a veteran public servant and Harvard Kennedy School administrator, died unexpectedly Sunday at his home in Newton. He was 55.
Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller notified constituents of his passing in an email, saying Warren “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.” Fuller added that Warren died “unexpectedly at his home in Newton,” on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. A cause of death has not been released.
Warren made history in 2009 when he became the first African American to be popularly elected mayor of a city in Massachusetts. He served two terms, from 2010 to 2018, where he prioritized investments in education, climate sustainability, and city planning. Fuller said that his administration also fostered Newton’s growing “innovation economy.”
Before his time in city government, Warren served in the U.S. Navy Reserve as an intelligence officer, completing a tour in Iraq. He also held roles under President Bill Clinton, Senator John Kerry, and was the New England regional director of Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“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,” he told The New York Times following his 2009 election.
After leaving office, Warren joined Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where he served as Director of the Institute of Politics and lecturer in public policy. In a statement published by The Harvard Crimson, Kennedy School Dean Jeremy Weinstein and Harvard College Dean David Deming described Warren as “a beloved member of our community” and said his life “stands as an example to us all.”
U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley wrote on social media that she was “shocked” and “in denial” after learning of his death, calling Warren “a decent, kind, and good man.” Representative Jake Auchincloss, who previously served on Newton’s City Council, said Warren’s door-to-door campaign style inspired his own political career. “Massachusetts has lost a bright light much too young,” Auchincloss said on X.
Warren is survived by his wife, Tassy, and their two children, Abigail and John.
