John J. Gardner Papers
- Collection GuideFinding aid for the collection.
Collection number: U0084
About the John J. Gardner Papers
This collection contains the political papers, professional records, and personal papers of John J. Gardner and his daughter, Josephine.
John James Gardner was born in Atlantic County, NJ on October 17th, 1845. He was the mayor of Atlantic City from 1868-1872, and from 1874-1875. He served in the Sixth New Jersey Volunteers during the Civil War from 1861-1865 and one year in the United States Veteran Volunteers. He was also a member of the Common Council and Coroner of Atlantic County in 1876. He served as president of the New Jersey State Senate in 1883 and was a senator from Atlantic County from 1878-1893. From 1893-1913, John J. Gardner was a member of the United States House of Representatives.
In addition to his political endeavors, Gardner also was engaged in Real Estate and insurance. Gardner’s Basin in Atlantic City is named for him, as he was responsible for developing the land. He was well versed on the lands of Atlantic County and kept many newspaper clippings covering local news, properties for sale, and business updates.
John J. Gardner and his wife Submitta Scull (Mitty) had six children: Larner Somers Gardner (named after John Js stepfather), Mary S. Gardner, Josephine Scull Gardner, Thomas Kimbel Reed Gardner, John J. Gardner Jr., and Albert H. S. Gardner. John J. Gardner died on February 7, 1921 in Indian Mills, Burlington County, N.J. He is now located in Atlantic City Cemetery in Pleasantville, N.J.
Josephine, one of the daughters, was born on January 29, 1877. She was heavily involved in the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, operated her father’s real estate business, and was a strong feminist activist. Josephine died in 1960.
Collection processed by Jessica Chamberlain, Special Collections Intern, Summer 2021.
From the Collection
Pin from US Representative John J. Gardner's 1902 campaign.
Lettering on ribbon reads, "For Congress Honorable John J. Gardner 2nd Congressional District N.J. 1902."
New Jersey Delegation Badge from the Republican National Convention, 1904.
Lettering reads, "Republican Nat'l Convention Chicago, Illinois June 21, 1904."
Badge from a Civil War unit reunion, 1893.
Lettering reads, "Sixth annual reunion, Appomattox - Yorktown, Second New Jersey Brigade Society Atlantic City April 10th, 1893."
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Copyright Notice
Stockton University does not own the rights to all of the items within this collection. Any researcher seeking to duplicate items within this collection are responsible for reaching out to the proper organizations to obtain permission or copyright on their own.