{{Infobox officeholder
|name=Albert Benjamin "Happy" <br>“Happy” Chandler, Sr.
|image=Happy Chandler of KY.jpg
|office=[[United States Senator]] from [[Kentucky]]
|term_start=October 10, 1939
|term_end=November 1, 1945
|preceded=Marvel Mills Logan
|succeeded=William A. Stanfill
|office2=44th and 49th [[Governors of Kentucky|Governor]] of Kentucky]]
|term_start2=December 10, 1935
|term_end2=October 9, 1939
|preceded3=Lawrence Wetherby
|succeeded3=Bert T. Combs
|office4=36th [[Lieutenant Governor ]] of Kentucky
|term_start4=December 8, 1931
|term_end4=December 10, 1935
}}
'''Albert Benjamin Chandler, Sr.'''(July 14, 1898 – June 15, 1991), known as '''A. B. "Happy" “Happy” Chandler''' (July 14, 1898 – June 15, 1991) was a colorful [[Democratic Party|DemocraticDemocrat]] [[politician]] from his native Commonwealth of [[Kentucky]]. From 1939 to 1945, he was one of Kentucky's two [[United States Senator]]s. He served two nonconsecutive terms as [[governor]] of Kentucky, from 1935 to 1939 and from 1955 to 1959. He was also a state senator and one-term lieutenant governor.
From 1945 to 1951, he was the second commissioner of [[Major League Baseball]]; in 1982, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His grandson, Ben Chandler, later served as a Democratic [[U.S. Representative]] for Kentucky's 6th congressional district, based about [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]] and including Chandler's residence in nearby Versailles (pronounced VER SAILS) in Woodford County.<ref name=findagrave>Albert Benjamin “Happy” Chandler (1898-1991) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed July 31, 2021/</ref>
==Background==
Chandler was born in [[rural]] Coryden in Henderson County in western Kentucky, the son of Joseph Sephus Chandler (1870-1959) and the former Callie Saunders.<ref>
Lowell H. Harrison, "Chandler, Albert Benjamin," in John E. Kleber (ed.). ''The Kentucky Encyclopedia,'' the University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0. Retrieved December 20, 2010, p. 179.</ref> Though no marriage records exist, Joseph Chandler allegedly rescued Callie from an orphanage and married her when she was fifteen.<ref name=boyett>Boyett, "Yesterday's News: Happy reunion."</ref> In 1901, Callie abandoned the family, and the brothers were reared by their father. <ref name=boyett /> In his autobiography, Chandler said that his mother's leaving them was his earliest memory.<ref name=boyett/> Years later, Chandler found his mother living in [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]], [[Florida]], and learned that she had remarried and he had half-siblings.<ref name=boyett /> Robert Chandler, his full brother, died tragically at the age of thirteen when he fell from a cherry tree.<ref name=flaherty113>Flaherty, p. 113</ref>
==Long political career==
After completing almost three years in his state Senate, Chandler was elected lieutenant governor in 1931, as fellow Democrat Ruby Laffoon (male) (1869-1941) became governor. The two clashed over the establishment of a state [[sales tax]], which Chandler opposed and which narrowly passed the legislature. Laffoon's allies then stripped the lieutenant governor of many of his legal powers. When Laffoon was out of state, Chandler as acting governor called a special session of the legislature and obtained implementation of a law to require [[primary]] elections in Kentucky, rather than permitting the party leadership to tap its candidate of choice. At the time Kentucky governors could not serve consecutive terms, and Chandler faced Laffoon's choice of Thomas Stockdale Rhea (1871-in the primary. After defeating Rhea, Chandler swamped the [[Republican Party|Republican]] King Swope (1893-1961) of Lexington, a former [[U.S. Representative]] for the state's then 8th congressional district, since disbanded. Governor Chandler in his first term oversaw the repeal of the sales tax, along with passage of new excise taxes and a state income tax. Chandler also obtained passage of a reorganization of state government and strengthened the education and transportation systems.<ref name=nyt/>