Herbert L. Jackson became one of the most successful Black politicians in the history of Massachusetts, serving some 30 years in public office from the 1940s to the 1970s. He was first elected in 1945 to a seat on the Malden City Council, where he served until 1950, when he won his first of two terms as a state representative from Malden. After a losing bid for a third term, he was re-elected to the City Council, where he served as president in 1949, 1965, 1971, and 1975. The Council chambers in Malden are named in honor of Herbert Jackson.