Setti Warren, the former mayor of Newton, died at his home Sunday at the age of 55, incumbent Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced.
Warren served Newton as mayor for eight years, from 2010 to 2018, becoming the first popularly elected Black American to serve as mayor in Massachusetts.
Before his death, Warren was an adjunct lecturer and the director of the Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, according to the school’s website.
Setti launched an unsuccessful bid for Massachusetts governor in 2017, dropping out of the race months later due to difficulties he said he had faced in financing a competitive campaign.
“He conscientiously and deliberately served residents in all 13 villages of Newton and continuously worked across divides,” Fuller said in a statement on Warren’s death Sunday. “He believed deeply in education and invested in the Newton Public Schools and its school buildings. He worked to spark the growth of Newton’s innovation economy. He reduced the City’s carbon footprint. He created a durable long-range transportation strategy. He kept the City’s finances strong.”
Warren served as a special assistant in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs during the Clinton administration in the 1990s and was also the New England director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as a U.S. Naval Reservist, before running for Newton mayor.
Several Massachusetts lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Katherine Clark and Jake Auchincloss mourned Setti Warren’s loss on social media, calling him a beloved teacher, mentor and leader.
According to Fuller, Warren’s death was unexpected. A cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
Warren leaves behind his wife, Tassy, and two children, Abigail and John.
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