[1] Born to Robert and Frances Gardner in 1877, Gardner was educated in the local schools and became a farmer and teacher in Iosco Township.

Gardner was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Grange, the Farm Bureau and the Farmers Union.

[2] Prior to his election to the House in 1922, Gardner served on the local school board, as a township supervisor, and as justice of the peace.

He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Michigan Senate in 1930.

In 1939, he began a term of service on the Michigan Fair Board, and was an alternate delegate to the 1948 Republican National Convention.