Gardner joined the
Royal Navy in 1755. Promoted to captain in 1766, his first command was the
fireship . He commanded a number of
frigates before being promoted to a
ship of the line. In 1782, he commanded the 98-gun at the
Battle of the Saintes, and in 1786 as commodore of the
Jamaica Station (consisting of and ), he suppressed smuggling in the
Gulf of Mexico and ordered detailed hydrographic surveys of Caribbean locations of interest to the Navy. During this time, he commanded and probably mentored future famous officers such as
George Vancouver,
Peter Puget and
Joseph Whidbey. Gardner became a
Member of Parliament for
Plymouth in 1790 and later for
Westminster in 1796. He was appointed to the
Board of Admiralty in 1790 and was appointed commander-in-chief of the
Leeward Islands Station in 1793. As rear admiral in November 1793, he was among the first officers to articulate a growing conviction in the navy that lemons were the best cure for scurvy and, going against prevailing medical opinion, demanded a supply for his ships. The resulting scurvy-free voyage of to India was a crucial element in the Admiralty's decision in 1795 to issue lemon juice as a daily ration in the navy – a policy which drastically minimised outbreaks of
scurvy. He left the Admiralty Board in 1795 and was promoted to full
admiral. He commanded a squadron during the
Mutiny at Spithead in 1797, and Gardner negotiated directly with the mutineers, until he lost his temper, seized a mutineer by the throat and threatened to hang the lot. This nearly led to his own demise at the hands of the mutineers, but cooler heads prevailed. In 1800 he became commander-in-chief of the
Cork Station. That year he was also created Baron Gardner, of
Uttoxeter, in the
Peerage of Ireland and in 1806 the title of
Baron Gardner in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom was created for him. He was briefly commander-in-chief of
Portsmouth from March to June 1803, but returned to the Cork Station after that. In a letter dated 19 May 1803 to
Lady Hamilton he is referred to by
Lord Nelson as a drinker, saying "... I shall get from him as soon as I can for they say there is much drinking...". In 1807 he was made commander-in-chief of the
Channel Fleet and he died in office on 1 January 1809. His memorial in the south transept of Bath Abbey, where he is interred, states that "The post of Major General of the Marine Forces was purposely created and bestowed on him by His most Gracious Sovereign for the very distinguished part He took in the ever Memorable Battle of the 1st of June 1794". ==Family==