Marshall G. Gardiner

Marshall Gephart Gardiner was born on September 27, 1912, to Alice (née Gephart) and Joseph Emmett Gardiner. His father and uncle were newspaper publishers in Valley Falls, Winchester and Oskaloosa. His father worked on the Leavenworth Times. His grandfather, Marshall Gephart, was a lawyer and judge in Valley Falls and Oskaloosa. Gardiner was descended from Lion Gardiner, a real estate investor in Long Island..[1][2] He grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas.[1]

Gardiner served as an engineer in the U.S. Army amphibious forces in World War II. He served in the South Pacific. He received a Bronze Arrowhead, four battle stars and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon.[1]

Gardiner worked as a news reporter at Leavenworth Times for 15 years. He also worked as a stockbroker.[1] Gardiner served as justice of the peace in Leavenworth until his resignation in January 1957.[3]

Gardiner was a Democrat. He worked as a precinct worker, district chairman and the treasurer of the state Democratic committee. Gardiner started serving in the Kansas House of Representatives in 1957. He was re-elected for a second term in 1958.[1][4][5][6] Gardiner lost the 1960 election to William H. Avery.[7] Gardiner ran for election in 1964, but lost to Dempsey.[8]

Gardiner married Mary. His wife was also a writer at Leavenworth Times and died in 1984. They had one son, Joe.[4] Gardiner married J'Noel Ball, a finance professor at Park College, in September 1998 in Oskaloosa.[4][9]

Gardiner died in 1999 of a heart attack. After his death, Gardiner's son filed the lawsuit In re Estate of Gardiner against Gardiner's widow after her transgender identity was revealed.[4]

In 1994, Gardiner donated $125,000 to the science program at Park College.[1]