A renowned writer was born in the city of Malden, Massachusetts, and went on to graduate from Palo Alto High School in 1909. He then enrolled in the Valparaiso University School of Law in Indiana, passing the state commission's examination to become a licensed lawyer in 1911.
In 1917, Gardner opened an attorney's office in Merced, California, and a few years later, he transitioned to a sales agency. Five years after that, in 1921, he founded a law firm, Sheridan, Orr, Drapo and Gardner, in Ventura, California.
Gardner's courtroom presentations were so captivating that he gained popularity until 1933, when he decided to dedicate himself entirely to literature. This was after the publication of his first detective novel, "The Case of Velvet Claws."
In 1946, Gardner co-founded the "Court of Last Hope," a human rights organization focused on reviewing death sentences, and remained a member until the 1960s. For a documentary about this organization, he received the Edgar Poe Award from the American Association of Detective Writers in 1962, in the Grand Master nomination.
Gardner also drew public attention to the rock carvings of Lower California, some of which were later recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, by publishing an article in the magazine "Life" in 1962.
In addition, in 1968, Gardner collaborated with Charles Hapgood on the research of the so-called Akambaro figurines, which were later confirmed to be 20th-century counterfeits.
Gardner married his longtime secretary, Agnes Bethel (1902-2002),in 1968, who became the inspiration for Della Street, the secretary of his iconic literary character, Perry Mason.
