Person Biography:
Erle Stanley Gardner was a prolific American author, best known for creating the fictional lawyer Perry Mason, as well as his secretary Della Street, private detective Paul Drake, and District Attorney Hamilton Burger. Born in 1889 in Malden, Massachusetts, Gardner grew up in Portland, Oregon, and later in the Klondike during the Gold Rush.
Gardner's early life was marked by a rebellious streak, and he was expelled from Valparaiso University in Indiana early in his freshman year for fighting. He went on to work as a boxer and promoter of illegal wrestling matches, eventually becoming a typist in a California law office, where he gained an interest in the law.
After passing the bar examination and being admitted to the California Bar in 1911, Gardner opened his own law office in Merced, California, at the age of 21. He soon became known as "T'ai chongtze" ("The Big Lawyer") among Chinese clients, and moved to Ventura, California, where he went into practice with another attorney.
Gardner's writing career began in the early 1920s, when he started writing for pulp fiction magazines under the pseudonym Charles M. Green. He went on to write nearly 100 detective and mystery novels that sold over 1 million copies each, making him one of the best-selling American writers of his time.
Gardner's most famous creation is Perry Mason, who debuted in 1933 and proved instantly popular. The character was adapted into a series of films and television shows, with Raymond Burr playing the role in the 1957-1966 TV series.
In addition to his writing and law career, Gardner was a passionate advocate for justice and fair trials. He co-founded the Court of Last Resort, a professional association of lawyers who investigated and reopened cases of wrongful convictions. He was also a vocal critic of the polygraph test, which he believed was unreliable and could lead to false convictions.
Gardner died on March 11, 1970, at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most prolific and successful mystery writers of his time.
