Setti Warren, the former mayor of Newton and onetime candidate for U.S. Senate and Massachusetts governor, has died.
Born in 1970, Warren was the first popularly elected African American mayor in state history.
His death was announced Sunday afternoon by Harvard University, where he was director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics.
“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,” wrote Harvard Kennedy School Dean Jeremy M. Weinstein and Harvard College Dean David J. Deming in a notice to the campus community.
“Whenever he saw a challenge, he ran toward it –– not away from it –– and our university and country are better for it.”
A longtime presence in state and national Democratic circles, Warren served two terms as Newton mayor, winning the city’s 2009 and 2013 elections.
In an interview, the city’s current mayor Ruthanne Fuller praised her predecessor and his record.
“He lit up a room. He was so charismatic. He believed in the positivity of government,” said Fuller.
“And he made a difference. He was a leader. He changed Newton for the better all eight years as mayor.”
In the midst of his first term as mayor, Warren mounted a campaign for U.S. Senate, looking to unseat Republican Scott Brown, who scored an unexpected victory in a 2010 special election following the death of longtime Senator Ted Kennedy. Warren ultimately withdrew from the race, with Elizabeth Warren winning the Democratic nomination and beating Brown in the 2012 election.
Warren cruised to reelection as mayor in 2013. During his final year leading Newton, in 2017, he launched a bid for Massachusetts governor with the hope of defeating incumbent Republican Charlie Baker in the 2018 election. He ended his campaign roughly a year later, with the eventual Democratic nominee Jay Gonzalez losing to Baker in a landslide.
Before serving as Newton mayor, Warren worked for President Bill Clinton, both as a campaign staffer and under multiple White House offices. He also worked for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign and as a senate staffer for Kerry before he became U.S. Secretary of State.
Warren also spent time in the military, first serving in the U.S. Naval Reserve and later working in naval intelligence during the Iraq War.
His cause of death has not been announced.
