Copyright The Boston Globe
The announcement of his passing came Sunday evening from leadership at Harvard, where he was director of the Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics. “Setti was a beloved member of our community, and we are devastated by this heartbreaking news,” Jeremy Weinstein, the Kennedy School Dean, and David Deming, Dean of Harvard College, said in a statement Sunday. They did not disclose a cause or time of death. Warren, an Iraq War veteran and prominent voice in politics at the local, state, federal level, has led Harvard’s Institute of Politics since 2022, and before that was executive director of Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy. “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,” their statement reads. “Whenever he saw a challenge, he ran toward it –– not away from it –– and our university and country are better for it." Warren worked as the deputy state director for Senator John Kerry’s Massachusetts office from 2004 to 2008, held multiple positions in the Clinton White House, and served as New England regional director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. After he was elected mayor of Newton, he ran briefly in 2011 for the US Senate and, after serving two terms, challenged Republican Gov. Charlie Baker in 2018. At Harvard, he was named executive director of Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy before serving as interim director, then director, at the Institute of Politics, where he lectured as an adjunct professor and moderated conversations with political figures. In mid-October, he held a talk with Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman on the Middle East. “He will be remembered as a visionary and tireless leader who helped steer these institutions as they hosted prominent speakers and fellows from across the political divide, conducted groundbreaking research, and fostered debate and engagement on the most challenging issues of our time,” the statement from the Harvard Deans read. “Most of all, he will be remembered at Harvard by the many students he helped to teach, nurture, and mentor. Setti’s students loved him, and their impact –– like his –– will reverberate for generations to come." Warren was born on Aug. 25, 1970 in Newton to Joseph and Elpidia Warren. He went to Newton North High School, where he was the class president for all four years. He graduated from Boston College in 1993 with a bachelor of arts in history. He later graduated from Suffolk Law School in 2006. Warren came from a political background, with his father, Joseph D. Warren, advising then-Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis’s 1988 presidential campaign. After graduating from law school, Warren spent a year on active duty in Iraq, announcing his candidacy for Newton mayor shortly after returning in October 2008. He quickly introduced himself to Newton voters by knocking on more than 11,000 doors, he said in a 2009 interview with the New York Times. “What I feel most passionate about is making people’s lives better, and I wanted to do it right here in my own community,” Warren told the Times. Warren leaves behind his wife, Tassy, who is the co-executive director and chief strategy officer at Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child. The couple have two children, Abigail and John.
