John Alexander Gardner was born in 1874 in San Diego, California. He studied medicine at the University of Southern California and graduated in 1900. He established his medical practice in Los Angeles and then moved to New York City, where he specialized in obstetrics. After the birth of his son, John Gardner became interested in the theory of child development and began to study child psychology
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With the help of William G. Farish, a Harvard professor, he undertook a study of creativity among children that was published as Born To Win: A Study Of Creative Experience In The Lives Of Young People In 1925. This book is a classic text on child development and a milestone in the field of creativity research.
After selling his medical practice, John Gardner began working as a consultant to businesses, universities, and organizations around the world, helping them to improve their performance. In 1954 he changed his profession from medicine to "executive education" as he called it. He died on December 21, 1971.