Frederick D. Gardner
Encyclopedia
Frederick "Fred" Dozier Gardner (November 6, 1869 December 18, 1933), an American
businessman and coffin and hearse manufacturer from St. Louis, Missouri
, served as the 34th Governor of Missouri
from 1917 to 1921.
, but rose to prominence in St. Louis. The only political office he ever sought was a single term as governor, and he won in the election of 1916. However, he did later attend national conventions of the Democratic Party.
and supplier. He worked for the Ellis Undertaking
Co., M. Hermann & Son Livery
& Undertaking
, and the Southern Undertaking
Co., all located in St. Louis. He eventually owned the St. Louis Coffin
Co., and served as its president. He was also vice president of Gardner Motor Co.
which operated in St. Louis from 1920 to 1932 and manufactured hearses and ambulances. He also operated casket
manufacturing plants in Memphis
, Tennessee
; Texarkana, Arkansas
; and Dallas, Texas
.Christensen, Lawrence O, (1999) Dictionary of Missouri Biography ISBN 0826212220.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman and coffin and hearse manufacturer from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, served as the 34th Governor of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
from 1917 to 1921.
Political career
Mr. Gardner was born in KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, but rose to prominence in St. Louis. The only political office he ever sought was a single term as governor, and he won in the election of 1916. However, he did later attend national conventions of the Democratic Party.
Businessman
In addition to his political career, Gardner spent 47 years in the funeral industry both as a funeral directorFuneral director
A funeral director , also known as a mortician or undertaker, is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as well as the planning and arrangement of the actual funeral ceremony...
and supplier. He worked for the Ellis Undertaking
Undertaking
Undertaking may refer to:* The task performed by a funeral director* In business, in particular in "EU English", the term is used interchangeably with Company, i.e. a business entity...
Co., M. Hermann & Son Livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
& Undertaking
Undertaking
Undertaking may refer to:* The task performed by a funeral director* In business, in particular in "EU English", the term is used interchangeably with Company, i.e. a business entity...
, and the Southern Undertaking
Undertaking
Undertaking may refer to:* The task performed by a funeral director* In business, in particular in "EU English", the term is used interchangeably with Company, i.e. a business entity...
Co., all located in St. Louis. He eventually owned the St. Louis Coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
Co., and served as its president. He was also vice president of Gardner Motor Co.
Gardner (automobile)
Gardner was an automobile maker based in St. Louis Missouri between 1920 and 1931.Without a dollar in his pocket, Russell E. Gardner left his home state Tennessee for St. Louis in 1879. Three-and-a-half decades later he was a millionaire several times over. Russell Gardner had made it big in St...
which operated in St. Louis from 1920 to 1932 and manufactured hearses and ambulances. He also operated casket
Casket
A casket, or jewelry box is a term for a container that is usually larger than a box, and smaller than a chest, and in the past was typically decorated...
manufacturing plants in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
; Texarkana, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
; and Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.Christensen, Lawrence O, (1999) Dictionary of Missouri Biography ISBN 0826212220.