Bill Gardner (Untouchables)
Encyclopedia
William Jennings Gardner (23 January 1884 – 15 June 1965) was one of Eliot Ness
's "Untouchables," a group of 11 hand-picked United States federal law-enforcement agents who, from 1929 to 1931, sought to put an end to Al Capone
's illegal empire. Ness chose Gardner for his team because he was an expert at undercover work.
.
his senior year in 1907. "Pop" Warner described his 1907 team as "nearly perfect", but was upset that Walter Camp had left Gardner off his All-American team. Later in the 1930s, Knute Rockne named Gardner to his All-Time All-American team for Collier's magazine.
Gardner then served as Manual's coach from 1908 through 1911. Gardner was normally described in newspapers of the day as reserved, but sometimes he had a "wolf - like nervousness". One newspaper referred to him as "the 'Indian' athlete". Gardner had a feared trickery as a football coach. The Director of Harvard's Hemenway Gymnasium found him to be one of the strongest Americans in 1911, conferred after a series of measurements and physical tests. Gardner even outscored renowned boxers John L. Sullivan
, Jack Johnson
, and James J. Jefferies. Gardner then became director of athletics at Otterbein University. He then played on an all-star team in Atlanta and while in Indiana, Gardner recruited another star - Jim Thorpe
.
and became the only "Indian" to receive a captain's commission at Fort Sheridan. As usual, Gardner captained the Camp Custer football team. He fought in the trenches
in France and his pension stated that he had been gassed
. Gardner married Alene French a socialite from Niles, Michigan in 1919 and fathered one son Frank Gardner and two daughters Jacqueline Gardner Carson and Alene Gardner Schnapf. The Gardner family traveled all over the United States, from Maryland to Texas, primarily because of Bill's highly mobile professional lifestyle, involved in both law and athletics.
. Ness wanted unmarried men who were accurate shots and could handle themselves in a fight. Gardner obtained a divorce and became a Prohibition Agent
. He had been an undercover expert in a L. A. Division and participated in the raids on Capone's breweries, as well as battling gangsters.
Ness often noted that Gardner had high cheek bones and an olive complexion. He also was amazed at Gardner's large size, making a note that Gardner held a shotgun nonchalantly. At nearly 50, Gardner was the oldest member of the "Untouchables".
's character of William "Bill" Youngfellow, "full-blooded Cherokee" agent under Robert Stack
's Eliot Ness in the original 1959–1963 The Untouchables
T.V. series, and for Michael Horse
's character, George Steelman, Native American agent under Tom Amandes
's Ness, in the revived series
syndicated to local stations in 1993.
Eliot Ness
Eliot Ness was an American Prohibition agent, famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois, and the leader of a legendary team of law enforcement agents nicknamed The Untouchables.- Early life :...
's "Untouchables," a group of 11 hand-picked United States federal law-enforcement agents who, from 1929 to 1931, sought to put an end to Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
's illegal empire. Ness chose Gardner for his team because he was an expert at undercover work.
Early life
Gardner was born in North Dakota. He was the son of a white man and a Chippewa Indian mother. At an early age he and his brother, George, were taken from the reservation and sent to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to attend the Carlisle Indian Industrial SchoolCarlisle Indian Industrial School
Carlisle Indian Industrial School was an Indian boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1879 at Carlisle, Pennsylvania by Captain Richard Henry Pratt, the school was the first off-reservation boarding school, and it became a model for Indian boarding schools in other locations...
.
Football career and athletics
Gardner, who stood just under six feet and 172 pounds (at the time), played end, tackle, and fullback from 1904–07, helping the little school defeat the powers of the time, which were Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Pennsylvania -known as the "Big Four". The handsome young man also set a school record in track for the half mile, and also played basketball and baseball. Gardner enrolled in Dickinson School of LawDickinson School of Law
Penn State University Dickinson School of Law is the law school of The Pennsylvania State University...
his senior year in 1907. "Pop" Warner described his 1907 team as "nearly perfect", but was upset that Walter Camp had left Gardner off his All-American team. Later in the 1930s, Knute Rockne named Gardner to his All-Time All-American team for Collier's magazine.
Gardner then served as Manual's coach from 1908 through 1911. Gardner was normally described in newspapers of the day as reserved, but sometimes he had a "wolf - like nervousness". One newspaper referred to him as "the 'Indian' athlete". Gardner had a feared trickery as a football coach. The Director of Harvard's Hemenway Gymnasium found him to be one of the strongest Americans in 1911, conferred after a series of measurements and physical tests. Gardner even outscored renowned boxers John L. Sullivan
John L. Sullivan
John Lawrence Sullivan , also known as the Boston Strong Boy, was recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing from February 7, 1881 to 1892, and is generally recognized as the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing under the London Prize Ring rules...
, Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
, and James J. Jefferies. Gardner then became director of athletics at Otterbein University. He then played on an all-star team in Atlanta and while in Indiana, Gardner recruited another star - Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
.
Family life and war
He finished law school in 1909 and was admitted to the Louisville bar in 1910. Gardner enlisted in the U.S. Army as a private during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and became the only "Indian" to receive a captain's commission at Fort Sheridan. As usual, Gardner captained the Camp Custer football team. He fought in the trenches
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
in France and his pension stated that he had been gassed
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
. Gardner married Alene French a socialite from Niles, Michigan in 1919 and fathered one son Frank Gardner and two daughters Jacqueline Gardner Carson and Alene Gardner Schnapf. The Gardner family traveled all over the United States, from Maryland to Texas, primarily because of Bill's highly mobile professional lifestyle, involved in both law and athletics.
The Untouchables
Eliot Ness was putting together a team of crack agents to combat the ruthless mob boss Al CaponeAl Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
. Ness wanted unmarried men who were accurate shots and could handle themselves in a fight. Gardner obtained a divorce and became a Prohibition Agent
Bureau of Prohibition
The Bureau of Prohibition was the federal law enforcement agency formed to enforce the National Prohibition Act of 1919, commonly known as the Volstead Act, which backed up the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution regarding the prohibition of the manufacture, sale, and transportation...
. He had been an undercover expert in a L. A. Division and participated in the raids on Capone's breweries, as well as battling gangsters.
Ness often noted that Gardner had high cheek bones and an olive complexion. He also was amazed at Gardner's large size, making a note that Gardner held a shotgun nonchalantly. At nearly 50, Gardner was the oldest member of the "Untouchables".
Later life
After Gardner left the "Untouchables", drinking, gambling, and women led to his downfall. He moved around until he died at the age of 81 from an illness at the Prescott Veterans Hospital in 1965. He was buried at the Prescott National Cemetery in Arizona, on 17 June 1965 his grave site number is 86, section number 12, row E. He was the real-life inspration behind Abel FernandezAbel Fernandez
Abel Gonzalez Fernandez is a Yaqui/Mexican actor who played in movies from 1953 to 2002. He is best known for his role as Federal Agent William "Bill" Youngfellow on the 1959-1963 ABC Television series The Untouchables...
's character of William "Bill" Youngfellow, "full-blooded Cherokee" agent under Robert Stack
Robert Stack
Robert Stack was an American actor. In addition to acting in more than 40 films, he was the star of the 1959-1963 ABC television series The Untouchables and later served as the host of Unsolved Mysteries.-Early life:...
's Eliot Ness in the original 1959–1963 The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
T.V. series, and for Michael Horse
Michael Horse
Michael Heinrich Horse is an American actor, jeweler, and ledger painter.-Early life:Michael Horse was born in a Yaqui Native American reserve near Tucson, Arizona, and is of Yaqui, Mescalero Apache, Zuni, European and Latino descent...
's character, George Steelman, Native American agent under Tom Amandes
Tom Amandes
Tom Amandes is an American actor. His best known role to date is that of the role of Dr. Harold "Hal" Abbott on the The WB Drama series Everwood, and as Eliot Ness in the 1990's version of The Untouchables TV series.- Career :...
's Ness, in the revived series
The Untouchables (1993 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama series that aired for two seasons in syndication, from January 1993 to May 1994. The series portrayed work of the real life Untouchables federal investigative squad in Prohibition-era Chicago and its efforts against Al Capone's attempts to profit from the...
syndicated to local stations in 1993.