1925 Boston mayoral election

1925 Boston mayoral election

←  1921 November 3, 1925 1929  →

Candidate Malcolm Nichols Theodore A. Glynn Joseph H. O'Neil Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 64,492 42,687 31,888 Percentage 35.4% 23.4% 17.5%   Candidate Daniel H. Coakley Thomas C. O'Brien Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 20,144 9,443 Percentage 11.1% 5.2%

Mayor before election James Michael Curley Elected mayor Malcolm Nichols

The Boston mayoral election of 1925 occurred on Tuesday, November 3, 1925. Malcolm Nichols, a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Massachusetts Senate, defeated nine other candidates to be elected mayor. ^[1]

Many votes were split between three Democratic candidates (Glynn, O'Neil, Coakley), which was a factor in the election of Nichols, a Republican. ^[2] While municipal elections in Boston have been nonpartisan since 1910, Nichols is the most recent Republican to be elected Mayor of Boston as of 2025.

In 1918, the Massachusetts state legislature had passed legislation making the Mayor of Boston ineligible to serve consecutive terms. ^[3] Thus, incumbent James Michael Curley was unable to run for re-election.

Nichols was inaugurated on Monday, January 4, 1926. ^[4]

Candidates

• Charles L. Burrill, member of the Massachusetts Executive Council since 1923, and former Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts (1915–1920)
• Daniel H. Coakley, disbarred attorney
• Alonzo B. Cook, Massachusetts State Auditor since 1915
• W. T. A. Fitzgerald, Register of Deeds, and former member of the Massachusetts Senate (1901–1903)
• Theodore A. Glynn, Commissioner of the Boston Fire Department
• John A. Keliher, Sheriff of Suffolk County since 1917, and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1903–11) and Massachusetts Senate (1899–1900)
• Walter G. McGauley, dentist ^[5]
• Malcolm Nichols, former member of the Massachusetts House (1907–09) and Massachusetts Senate (1914, 1917–19)
• Thomas C. O'Brien, District Attorney of Suffolk County since 1922
• Joseph H. O'Neil, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1889–1895) and Massachusetts House (1878–1882, 1884)

Results

Candidates	General Election [6]
	Votes	%
Malcolm Nichols	64,492	35.4%
Theodore A. Glynn	42,687	23.4%
Joseph H. O'Neil	31,888	17.5%
Daniel H. Coakley	20,144	11.1%
Thomas C. O'Brien	9,443	5.2%
John A. Keliher	7,737	4.2%
W. T. A. Fitzgerald	3,188	1.8%
Alonzo B. Cook	1,771	1.0%
Walter G. McGauley	437	0.2%
Charles L. Burrill	276	0.2%
all others	2	0.0%

See also

• List of mayors of Boston, Massachusetts

References

1. "Boston Elects Republican Mayor". Salt Lake Telegram. Salt Lake City. AP. November 4, 1925. Retrieved March 14, 2018– via newspapers.com.
2. Merrill, John (November 4, 1925). "NICHOLS WINS RACE BY 22,307" . The Boston Globe . p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
3. "REPORT BILL TO STOP CONSECUTIVE TERMS" . The Boston Globe . February 26, 1918. p. 6. Retrieved March 12, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
4. "MAYOR NICHOLS INAUGURATED" . The Boston Globe . January 4, 1926. p. A1. Retrieved March 16, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
5. "406 Marlborough". Back Bay Houses. August 6, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
6. Annual Report of the Election Department. City of Boston. 1925. p. 48. Retrieved March 14, 2018.

Further reading

• "Nichols Out in Front of Boston Aspirants". Los Angeles Times . AP. November 4, 1925. p. 2. Retrieved March 21, 2018– via newspapers.com.