Francis Gardner

Francis Gardner (December 27, 1771 – June 25, 1835) was an American politician, lawyer, and a United States Representative from New Hampshire. He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives during a significant period in the early republic, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his New Hampshire constituents as a member of the Republican Party, historically known as the Democratic-Republican Party.

Gardner was born on December 27, 1771, in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. He was the son of the Rev. Francis Gardner (1736–1814), a clergyman whose standing in the community likely influenced his son’s education and early development. Gardner grew up in New England at a time when the new United States was emerging from the Revolutionary era, and his family connections later extended into national politics through his sister Hannah, who married Abijah Bigelow, a future member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts serving from 1810 to 1815.

Gardner pursued higher education at Harvard University, one of the principal training grounds for New England’s professional and political elite. He graduated from Harvard in 1793. Following his graduation, he studied law, preparing for a career in the legal profession that would underpin his later public service. After completing his legal studies, he was admitted to the bar in 1796.

Upon admission to the bar, Gardner commenced the practice of law in Walpole, New Hampshire. He established himself as an attorney in that community before relocating in 1806 to Keene, New Hampshire, which would become the principal base of his professional and political life. His legal abilities and growing reputation led to his appointment as solicitor of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, on June 30, 1806. He formally served as county solicitor from 1807 to 1820, a role in which he was responsible for representing the county in legal matters and prosecuting cases, thereby playing a central part in the administration of justice at the local level.

Gardner’s legal and civic standing in New Hampshire provided the foundation for his election to national office. Elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Tenth Congress, he served as a United States Representative for the state of New Hampshire from March 4, 1807, to March 3, 1809. During this single term in Congress, he was part of the Republican Party majority in the early years of the Jeffersonian era, contributing to the legislative process at a time marked by debates over foreign policy, trade restrictions, and the evolving powers of the federal government. He did not seek reelection in 1808 and, after the close of his term, returned to New Hampshire to resume his law practice while continuing his duties as solicitor of Cheshire County.

In his personal life, Gardner married Margaret Leonard on November 1, 1804. The couple had five children: Susan, Francis, Margaret Helen, Delia Leonard, and Sarah Gibson. His family ties, including his connection through his sister Hannah to Congressman Abijah Bigelow, placed him within a broader network of New England political and professional families in the early nineteenth century.

After concluding his long service as solicitor in 1820, Gardner appears to have continued his legal and civic activities away from the national stage. He later resided in Massachusetts, and he died in Roxbury, then an independent town and now part of Boston, in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, on June 25, 1835, at the age of 63 years and 180 days. The exact location of his burial is unknown.