Obadiah Gardner (September 13, 1852July 24, 1938) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

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 sove ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

. Gardner was a businessman and member of the Democratic Party who served in several minor state executive positions before serving in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

Biography

Gardner was born near

Port Huron Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

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 t ...

. In 1864 at the age of 12, he moved with his parents to Union,

, where he attended public schools. He studied at

Eastman Business College The Eastman Business College was a business school located in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It operated from 1859 until it closed in 1931. At the height of its success, the school was one of the largest commercial colleges in the United St ...

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and later at the

Coburn Classical Institute The Coburn Classical Institute was a college preparatory school in Waterville, Maine, which operated from 1828–1970. Waterville Academy In its early years, Waterville College (now Colby College) had maintained a Latin school in the college bui ...

in Waterville, Maine. After graduating he engaged in the agriculture business, including ventures in

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

, lime, and

creameries A creamery is a place where milk and cream are processed and where butter and cheese is produced. Cream is separated from whole milk; pasteurization is done to the skimmed milk and cream separately. Whole milk for sale has had some cream ret ...

in Rockland and cattle raising elsewhere. MrsObadiah Gardner 1911 12 14

He was a member of the Maine Board of Agriculture and later the master of the Maine State Grange (1897–1907). In 1908, he launched an unsuccessful campaign to become

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, losing to

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 ...

candidate Bert M. Fernald. In 1911, he was appointed as chairman of the Board of State Assessors, but resigned after being appointed and later elected Senator, filing the vacancy caused by the death of

William P. Frye William Pierce Frye (September 2, 1830 – August 8, 1911) was an American politician from Maine. A member of the Republican Party, Frye spent most of his political career as a legislator, serving in the Maine House of Representatives and the ...

. Gardner served from September 23, 1911, until March 3, 1913, when he lost his bid for re-election. During this time, Gardner served in the Senate with fellow Democrat

Charles Fletcher Johnson Charles Fletcher Johnson (February 14, 1859 – February 15, 1930) was a United States senator from Maine and a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Johnson was nominated by President Woodrow Wi ...

. It marked the first time since 1853 that two Democrats represented Maine in the United States Senate. Following this defeat, he was appointed a member of the International Joint Commission created to prevent disputes between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

over shared

boundary waters The Boundary Waters, also called the Quetico-Superior Country, is a region of wilderness straddling the Canada–United States border between Ontario and Minnesota, in the area just west of Lake Superior. While "Boundary Waters" is a common name ...

. Later he became chairman of the American delegation, serving until his retirement in 1923. Gardner returned to Rockland and later moved to Augusta, where he died. He is interred in the Achorn Cemetery in Rockland.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Obadiah 1852 births 1938 deaths People from St. Clair County, Michigan American people of English descent Democratic Party United States senators from Maine Maine Democrats People from Rockland, Maine People from Union, Maine