![GARDNER, W](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/GARDNER%2C_W._GENERAL_LCCN2016857402_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Washington Gardner (February 16, 1845 – March 31, 1928) was a lawyer, minister, politician and
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
veteran from the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
.
Biography
Gardner was born in
Morrow County, Ohio
Morrow County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,950. Its county seat is Mount Gilead. The county was organized in 1848 from parts of four neighboring counties a ...
. He entered the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
and served in Company D, Sixty-Fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, from October 1861 to December 1865. He was severely wounded in action at the
Battle of Resaca
The Battle of Resaca, from May 13 to 15, 1864, formed part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War, when a Union force under William Tecumseh Sherman engaged the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by Joseph E. Johnston. The battle ...
in
Resaca, Georgia
Resaca is a town in Gordon County, Georgia, Gordon County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, with unincorporated areas extending into Whitfield County, Georgia, Whitfield County. Resaca lies along the Oostanaula River. The population wa ...
.
After the war, he attended school at
Berea, Ohio
Berea ( ) is a city in Cuyahoga County in the U.S. state of Ohio and is a western suburb of Cleveland. The population was 19,093 at the 2010 census. Berea is home to Baldwin Wallace University, as well as the training facility for the Cleveland ...
, then at
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College is a Private university, private Conservatism in the United States, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan. It was founded in 1844 by Abolitionism, abolitionists known as Free Will Baptists.
Its missio ...
,
Hillsdale, Michigan
Hillsdale is the largest city and county seat of Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,036 at the 2020 census.
The city is the home of Hillsdale College, a private liberal arts college noted for its academics ...
, and graduated from the
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...
,
Delaware, Ohio
Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County, Ohio, United States. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio m ...
, in 1870. He studied in the school of theology at
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
, in 1870 and 1871 and graduated from the
Albany Law School
Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at A ...
in 1876. He was admitted to the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
and commenced practice in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
. He entered the ministry of the
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...
, in which he served twelve years. He was commander of the Department of Michigan,
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...
, in 1888. He was professor in
Albion College
Albion College is a private liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students in 2014.
They participate in NCAA Division III and the Michigan Intercolle ...
, 1889–1894.
On March 20, 1894, Gardner was appointed
Michigan Secretary of State
The Michigan Department of State is administered by the Secretary of State, who is elected on a partisan ballot for a term of four years in gubernatorial elections.
The Secretary of State is the third-highest official in the State of Michigan. A ...
by Governor
John T. Rich
John Treadway Rich (April 23, 1841 – March 28, 1926) was an American politician serving as a U.S. Representative and the 23rd governor of Michigan.
Early life in Pennsylvania, Vermont and Michigan
Rich was born in Conneautville, Pennsylvania, ...
to fill the vacancy caused by the removal of
John W. Jochim. He was then twice elected to the position in 1894 and 1896, serving until 1899. In 1898, he defeated incumbent
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Albert M. Todd
Albert May Todd (June 3, 1850 – October 6, 1931), known as "The Peppermint King of Kalamazoo," was an American chemist, businessman, and politician from the state of Michigan. A philanthropist and advocate of public ownership of utilities, ...
to be elected as a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
from
Michigan's 3rd congressional district
Michigan's 3rd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in West Michigan. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of the counties of Barry and Ionia, as well as all except the northwestern portion of Kent, including the city of Grand R ...
to the
56th United States Congress
The 56th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1899, ...
. He was subsequently re-elected to the five succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1899 to March 3, 1911. He served as chairman of the
Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce and Labor in the
61st Congress
The 61st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., Washington, DC from ...
. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1910 to the
62nd Congress
The 62nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1911, to M ...
.
He was commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1913 and 1914.
[ He was an unsuccessful candidate in the primary election for ]Governor of Michigan
The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...
. He served as Commissioner of Pensions from March 22, 1921, to March 4, 1925.[ He retired from public life and died in ]Albion, Michigan
Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,616 at the 2010 census and is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The earliest English-s ...
in 1928. He was interred in Riverside Cemetery, in Albion.
Legacy
Washington Gardner Middle School (formerly Washington Gardner High School) in Albion, Michigan, is named in his honor.
References
External links
Retrieved on 2008-02-14
The Political Graveyard
“The Hon. Washington Gardner”
by Frank Passic, ''Morning Star'', July 4, 1993, p. 19
Bibliography
* ''History of Calhoun County, Michigan
Vol. 1
an
Vol. 2
Washington Gardner, ed. Chicago, New York: The Lewis publishing company, 1913.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Washington
1845 births
1928 deaths
Union Army soldiers
Albany Law School alumni
Boston University School of Theology alumni
Burials in Michigan
People from Morrow County, Ohio
Ohio Wesleyan University alumni
Hillsdale College alumni
Albion College faculty
Secretaries of State of Michigan
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan
Grand Army of the Republic Commanders-in-Chief