Malcolm Nichols was a reporter for the Boston Traveler, a lawyer, and a member of the Boston House of Representatives before being elected Mayor of Boston in 1925 when the democratic vote was split three ways.
Nichols was the Massachusetts State House reporter for The Boston Traveler, covering both houses of the legislature, and later a political reporter for The Boston Post. He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 190709, representing Ward 10 of Boston (the Back Bay), where he was a member and clerk of the House Committee on Metropolitan affairs. He was a member of the Massachusetts Senate, 1914, 191719, and was elected Mayor of Boston in November 1925, serving in office from 1926 to 1930. Many votes were split between three Democratic candidates (Glynn, O'Neil, Coakley), which was a factor in the election of Nichols, a Republican. 
