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Chandler was born in [[rural]] Coryden in Henderson County in western Kentucky, the son of Joseph Sephus Chandler (1870-19591870–1959) 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>

Chandler wed the former married Mildred Lucille Watkins (1899-19951899–1995), a teacher at a girls' school.<ref>Flaherty, pp. 121–122</ref> Their children were Marcella Miller (1922-20051922–2005), Mildred ("Mimi") Lewis, Albert, Jr. (1929-20161929–2016), and Joseph Daniel Chandler (1933-20041933–2004).

After completing almost three years in his state Senate, Chandler was elected lieutenant governor in 1931, as fellow Democrat Ruby Laffoon (male) (1869-19411869–1941) 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 (1893-19611893–1961) 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/>

In 1938, Chandler, still in office as governor, opposed the re-nomination of U.S. Senator [[Alben Barkley]], a favorite of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], who came into the commonwealth to campaign for Barkley. Chandler lost a close race to Barkley. The following year, Kentucky's other Democratic senator, Marvel Mills Logan (1874-19391874–1939) of Elizabethtown, died in office, and Chandler resigned as governor so that his successor, Keen Johnson (1896-19701896–1970), could appoint him to the vacant Senate seat.<ref>Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress - Retro Member details, accessed July 31, 2021.</ref>

In 1945, Chandler left the Senate to succeed Kenesaw Mountain Landis (1866-19441866–1944), a [[Segregation|segregationist]], as commissioner of baseball. In this capacity, Chandler approved the contract of [[Jackie Robinson]] with the former [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] and hence [[Segregation|desegregated]] baseball. The baseball owners had all opposed admitting Robinson into the league, but Chandler overruled them. Chandler established the first pension fund for MLB players financed by [[radio]] rights on the [[World Series]]. The baseball owners, influenced by Dodgers manager Leo Ernest Dorocher (1905-19911905–1991), whom Chandler derided for alleged times to [[gambling]], did not renew his contract in 1951.<ref>Chandler, Happy | Baseball Hall of Fame, accessed July 31, 2021.</ref><ref name=utube/>

Following his term as commissioner, Chandler returned to Kentucky and won a second term as governor in 1955. He presided over the racial integration of state schools and established a medical school at the [[University of Kentucky]], renamed the Chandler Medical Center. Following his second term as governor, his political influence began to wane as he made three more unsuccessful runs for governor in 1963, 1967 (when the Republican [[Louie B. Nunn]] was elected), and 1971, when the office passed to the Democrat Wendell Hampton Ford (1924-20181924–2018), later one of the state's two U.S. senators.

Chandler's support in 1987 for dark-horse gubernatorial candidate Wallace Glenn Wilkinson (1941-20021941–2002) paid off as Wilkinson resisted calls to remove Chandler from the University of Kentucky board of trustees following the former governor's use of a racial expression at a 1988 board meeting. Chandler was first appointed to the trustess by Louie Nunn, whom Chandler supported In the 1967 election. In 1968, he was considered as a vice-presidential running mate got [[alabama]]'s [[George Wallace]] third-party campaign, but the two could not resolve their "racial differences."<ref>Andy Mead and Jim Warren, "Kentucky's "Happy" Chandler Dies, ''Lexington Herald-Leader,'' June 16, 1991, p. A-1.</ref>