Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Gadbois received an Artium Baccalaureus from St. John's University in 1955 and a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California in 1958.
He attended the University of Southern California Law School in 1960.
He was a vice president, general counsel and secretary of Denny's, Inc., in La Mirada, California from 1968 to 1971.
[1] On June 28, 1982, Gadbois was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the Central District of California vacated by Judge Irving Hill.
He assumed senior status on January 24, 1996 due to a certified disability, and served in that capacity until his death later that year in Los Angeles.