1871 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1871 saw the reelection of incumbent Democrat William Gaston, who defeated Republican nominee Newton Talbot.

Democratic nomination
Incumbent Democratic Party mayor William Gaston was re-nominated by his party. He also received the nominations of the city's Labor-Reformers and Citizens' parties.

Republican nomination
On November 24, the city's Republican Ward and City Committee nominated Talbot for mayor at its meeting (held in the courtroom of the Second Superior Court).

Talbot was selected as the nominee nominee through a vote of the nominees. The ballot saw 85 delegates voting, and an individual required 49 votes in order to become the nominee. The balloting was as follows:

Talbot accepted the Republican nomination.

A November 28 convention at Mercantile Hall for a citizens ticket unanimously voted to nominate Talbot.

Results
The municipal election results were seen as forgoing typical party alignment in both the race for mayor and the chambers of the City Council.