Happy Chandler (July 14, 1898 – June 15, 1991) was the
44th governor of Kentucky (1935–1939), a member of the
U.S. Senate, the
commissioner of baseball, and the 49th governor of Kentucky (1955–1959). In his first term as governor, he oversaw the repeal of the sales tax, replacing the lost revenue with new
excise taxes and the state's first
income tax, and helped improve the state's education and transportation systems. He resigned as governor so his successor could appoint him to the Senate. A
fiscal conservative and disciple of
Virginia's
Harry F. Byrd, Chandler opposed parts of Roosevelt's
New Deal and openly disagreed with the president's decision to prioritize
European operations in World War II over the
Pacific War. In 1945, he resigned his Senate seat to become the commissioner of baseball, succeeding
Kenesaw Mountain Landis. He approved
Jackie Robinson's contract with the
Brooklyn Dodgers, initiating the
racial integration of
Major League Baseball.
Photograph credit: Harris & Ewing; restored by Kentuckian
