William Sewall Gardner (October 1, 1827 – April 4, 1888) was a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1885 to 1887. He was appointed by Governor

George D. Robinson George Dexter Robinson (born George Washington Robinson; January 20, 1834 – February 22, 1896) was an American lawyer and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from Chicopee, Massachusetts. After serving in the Massachusett ...

. Born in

Hallowell, Maine Hallowell is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,570 at the 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Hallowell is noted for its culture and old architecture. Hallowell is included in the Augusta, Maine, micropolitan ...

,"Ex-Judge Gardner Dead", ''Fall River Daily Evening News'' (April 4, 1888), p. 3."Memorial Service in Honor of the Late William Sewall Gardner", ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' (November 27, 1888), p. 8. Gardner graduated from Bowdoin College and read law in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

, gaining admission to the bar in 1852. He practiced law in partnership with Theodore H. Sweetser until 1875, when Gardner was appointed to the Massachusetts Superior Court, where he remained for ten years. In October 1885, Governor

appointed Gardner to a seat on the state supreme court vacated by the death of Justice Waldo Colburn. Gardner served for less than two years. In March 1887, he attempted to carry out his judicial duties in hearing cases from the bench, but due to poor health was only able to attend court for one day before taking leave, intending to travel to Europe to recover. By June of that year, however, it was reported that Gardner has "completely lost his mind, and no hopes are entertained of his recovering it"."Judge Gardner's Illness", ''

'' (June 28, 1887), p. 1. Gardner died at his home in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

at the age of 60.

References

1827 births 1888 deaths People from Hallowell, Maine Bowdoin College alumni U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Massachusetts Superior Court justices {{Massachusetts-state-judge-stub