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Nicknamed for his jovial nature, Albert B. “Happy” Chandler was born near Corydon, Kentucky in 1898. From an early age, he displayed talent in many sports, He was the captain of both the football and baseball teams in high school. His father had hopes that he would enter the ministry; however, Chandler chose to attend Transylvania University in Lexington, KY. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Transylvania, he was accepted to Harvard Law School, but due to financial constraints, he transferred and graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1925.
Chandler’s political career in public office began in 1929 when he was elected to represent Kentucky in the state Senate. In 1931, he was elected to the office of Lieutenant Governor. In 1935, he was elected as the state’s 44th Governor. He served as U.S. Senator from 1939-45. After a 10-year break from state politics, he returned in 1955 to win a term as Kentucky’s 49th Governor, where he served until 1959.
Chandler may be best known for his accomplishments beyond Kentucky. In 1945, Chandler was selected as the second-ever Commissioner of Major League Baseball, serving in that role until 1951. During his six-year tenure, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Chandler’s determination to integrate baseball was frowned upon by most of the league’s team owners, but he and Branch Rickey knew their decision was the right thing to do. Later in that first season, Happy Chandler threatened severe repercussions against Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman for his racially insulting taunts towards Robinson and he supported National League Baseball President Ford Frick’s threat to indefinitely suspend any St. Louis Cardinal player who refused to play against the Dodgers as a protest to black players. As noted by Dodger’s Pitcher Don Newcombe, "Some of the things he did for Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and [myself] when he was commissioner of baseball, those are the kinds of things we never forget … he cared for black players in baseball when it wasn’t fashionable.” Chandler also used money raised from the league’s broadcasting contracts and radio rights to establish a pension fund which continues to benefit players today. Widely known as the “player’s commissioner,” Chandler was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Happy Chandler died on June 15th, 1991 at his home in Versailles, Kentucky. His autobiography, published in 1989 and titled “Heroes, Plain Folks, and Skunks: The Life and Times of Happy Chandler,” has a foreword written by Bob Hope.
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