Setti Warren, former Newton mayor and barrier breaker, dies suddenly at 55

Setti Warren, the former mayor of Newton and a leading political voice, died suddenly on Sunday at age 55.

Warren's death was announced by current Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller.

"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," Fuller wrote.

Warren was a prominent figure in Massachusetts politics. An Iraq War veteran, Warren was elected mayor of Newton in 2009, becoming the first elected African American mayor in Massachusetts.

At the time, the city had been "reeling" after a bitter fight about building a new expensive high school, according to U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who grew up there.

But, he said, "Setti got out there and was just joyful. Just door-to-door, one-on-one conversations, knitting the city back together."

U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss was elected to Newton City Council in 2015 during Warren's tenure as mayor. In an interview with WBUR on Monday, Auchincloss said Warren's door-knocking "dynamism" when campaigning inspired him to run.

Auchincloss described Warren as someone who made " each person he was talking to feel like they mattered," and followed through with action.

" Then Setti went to City Hall and he delivered; he did it," Auchincloss said. "And that's what we need more of ... these, these gritty one-on-one conversations where we hear what people care about and then we go and do something about it."

Warren served two terms as Newton's top official, leaving office in 2018 after deciding not to run for reelection.

He campaigned to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate in 2011, ultimately bowing out of the race and endorsing Elizabeth Warren (no relation). He later unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2018.

In a post on X Sunday, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she was sad to hear of his passing.

"Massachusetts lost a light today," she wrote. "Setti was a true public servant. I’m thinking of him and his family."

Before seeking elected office, Warren worked for former Sen. John Kerry and served in the White House under President Bill Clinton. Warren was appointed New England Director of FEMA in 2000. He then went on to work on Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.

Most recently, Warren served as the 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 Kennedy School Dean Jeremy M. Weinstein and Harvard College Dean David Deming in an open letter announcing Warren's death.

Politicians across multiple levels of government posted messages of sorrow and condolence.

In a post on social media, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley said she was "heartbroken" by the news. Pressley called Warren a "dear friend," and said she had been in contact with him the night before his death.

"There will be plenty of time to remember him as a proud Democrat, dedicated public servant, and convener, but for now I just want to remember the decent, kind, and good man that he was," wrote Pressley.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey described Warren as a mentor to "young leaders."

"I had the privilege of working alongside him and he did this work for all the right reasons," Healey wrote in a post on X. "I will miss his smarts, energy, compassion, and most of all, his heart."

Above all, Newton Mayor Fuller said the "center of Setti’s heart was his family."

In announcing his death, Fuller recalled that Warren's mayoral office was papered with drawings by his children and photographs of them.

He is survived by his wife, Tassy, and children, Abigail and John.

With reporting by WBUR's Rob Lane and the WBUR Newsroom.