J. H. (John Hays) Gardiner

Born in Gardiner, Maine, in 1863, John Hays Gardiner studied at Harvard, earning his A.B. in 1885. He later became a member of Harvard's English faculty and was also connected with the Harvard Alumni Bulletin.

Gardiner wrote and edited books meant to teach students how to write with force and clarity. Among the works associated with him are The Making of Arguments, Manual of Composition and Rhetoric, and The Mother Tongue, books that reflect his strong interest in rhetoric, composition, and effective English prose.

He died in Boston in 1913, at just 50 years old. Though not widely known today, he remains an appealing figure for readers who enjoy classic guides to writing and argument, especially those rooted in the classroom world of early twentieth-century Harvard.