William Gardner

William or Bill Gardner may refer to:

Sport

Military

Others

Bill Gardner (politician)

William M. (Bill) Gardner (born October 26, 1948) is the current Secretary of State of New Hampshire. He is in charge of the department that oversees all general elections, primary elections, voter registration and recounts within the state, including the New Hampshire primary. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Public Advisory Board at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.

He began his career in New Hampshire politics as a state representative and was elected Secretary of State in 1976 by the state legislature. He has been kept in office by both Democratic and Republican legislatures since then. He is the longest currently-serving Secretary of State in the United States.

Gardner has taken the lead in New Hampshire's policy towards "100% Paper Ballot" elections, in contrast to some states that use computerized voting systems without paper records of each vote.

A strong supporter of New Hampshire's standing as the 'first in the nation' primary state, Gardner wrote Why New Hampshire with the late former Governor Hugh Gregg in October 2003, detailing the history and significance of the New Hampshire Primary. He also appears in Winning New Hampshire, released in 2004.

William Gardner (sailor)

William Gardner (born 1832, date of death unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Mobile Bay.

Background

Born in 1832 in Ireland, Gardner immigrated to the United States and was living in New York when he joined the U.S. Navy. He served during the Civil War as a seaman on the USS Galena. At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, he "behaved with conspicuous coolness" despite heavy fire. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor four months later, on December 31, 1864. He later obtained the rank of ship's cook.

Gardner's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

References