Malcolm Nichols

Malcolm Edwin Nichols (May 8, 1876 – February 7, 1951) was a journalist and a U.S. political figure. Nichols served as the Mayor of Boston in the late 1920s. He came from a Boston Brahmin family and was the most recent Republican to serve in that post.

Malcolm E. Nichols
Nichols c. 1908
44th Mayor of Boston
In office January 4, 1926 – January 6, 1930
Preceded by	James M. Curley
Succeeded by	James M. Curley
Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the Fifth Suffolk District
In office 1918–1919
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the Tenth Suffolk District
In office 1907–1909
Personal details
Born	May 8, 1876 Portland, Maine
Died	February 7, 1951 (aged 74) Jamaica Plain, Boston
Resting place	Forest Hills Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Edith M. Williams Carrie M. Williams
Children	Clark S., Dexter, Marjorie
Residence	173 Centre Street, Boston
Alma mater	Harvard College
[1][2][3][4][5]

Early years

Nichols was the son of Edwin T. Nichols and Helen J. G. (Pingree) Nichols. He was married on December 16, 1915, to Edith M. Williams (died 1925). They had three children, sons Clark S.[6] and Dexter, and daughter Marjorie.[7] In 1926 he married Edith's twin sister Carrie Marjorie Williams.[7] His son Clark acted as his best man and his son Dexter acted as the ring bearer.[6][8][9]

Career

Journalism

Nichols was the Massachusetts State House reporter for The Boston Traveler,[10] covering both houses of the legislature, and later a political reporter for The Boston Post.[2]

Public service

In addition to his newspaper work, Nichols was a lawyer and Port Collector[11] of Internal Revenue. He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1907–09, representing Ward 10 of Boston[12] (the Back Bay), where he was a member and clerk of the House Committee on Metropolitan affairs.[1] He was a member of the Massachusetts Senate, 1914, 1917–19, and was elected Mayor of Boston in November 1925,[13] serving in office from 1926 to 1930. He was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor in November 1933, November 1937, and November 1941.

Personal life

Nichols was a Swedenborgian and of English ancestry. He was a member of the Freemasons, Shriners, and Elks. Nichols died of a heart attack, in Jamaica Plain, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, on February 7, 1951. He was interred in Forest Hills Cemetery in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston.

See also

• Timeline of Boston, 1900s–1920s

References

1. Who's who in State Politics, 1908, Boston, MA: Practical Politics, 1908, p. 265
2. Harvard College Class of 1899 List of Addresses, Occupations, Marriages, Births, and Deaths, Cambridge, MA: Harvard College Class of 1899, June 1905, p. 21
3. "MAYOR NICHOLS INAUGURATED". The Boston Globe. January 4, 1926. p. A1. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
4. "CURLEY INAUGURATION WILL BE HELD TODAY". The Boston Globe. January 6, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
5. Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court, Boston, MA: Secretary of the Commonwealth, 1918, p. 554
6. "Son, 9, Best Man at Wedding Of Mayor Nichols of Boston", Amusements, The New York Times, p. 31, 23 November 1926
7. Time, 6 December 1926 Missing or empty |title= (help)
8. "BOSTON'S MAYOR WED; 9-YEAR SON BEST MAN; Mr. Nichols's Bride Twin Sister of Late Wife-Church Crowded at Ceremony", Amusements, The New York Times, p. 17, 27 November 1926
9. Time, 27 November 1926 Missing or empty |title= (help)
10. Gifford, Stephen Nye (1904), A Manual for the Use of the General Court, Boston, MA: Massachusetts General Court, p. 473
11. "Republican Wins Boston Mayoralty – Nichols Has 22,000 Lead Over Nearest Democrat, One of Seven Rivals – Klan Beaten in Detroit – Mayor Smith, Whom It Fought, Has 16,692 Lead in Half the City". The New York Times. 4 November 1925. p. 1.
12. Marden, George Augustus (1908), A Manual for the Use of the General Court, Boston, MA: Massachusetts General Court, p. 437
13. "Boston Elects Republican Mayor". Salt Lake Telegram. Salt Lake City. AP. November 4, 1925. Retrieved March 14, 2018 – via newspapers.com.

Bibliography

• Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court by the Secretary of the Commonwealth (1918) p. 554.
• Who's who in State Politics, 1908 Practical Politics (1908) p. 265.

External links

• Malcolm E. Nichols entry at The Political Graveyard
• Nichols election records at ourcampaigns.com
• Malcolm Edwin Nichols at Find a Grave