Griffith, Clark, 1869-1955

Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler was unanimously elected commissioner of baseball on February 25, 1945, just four months after the death of long-time Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Although he was elected to, and signed, a seven- year contract, his tenure in office only ran from 1945-1951. Discord with the owners started almost immediately. Chandler wanted the same type of dictatorial control Landis had, but the owners wanted someone to carry out the rules, not make them. Three baseball owners, Louis R. Perini, Del Webb, and Fred M. Saigh each had conflicts with Chandler early in his commissionership. They were the leading forces in a campaign to oust Chandler. Clark Griffith, then owner of the Washington Nationals, stood behind Chandler's desire to retain Landis-type control and he started his own campaign to retain Chandler as commissioner. A change in voting rules was instrumental in ending Chandler's commissionership. After failing to receive the support of the owner's in a secret ballot, Chandler resigned on March 12, 1951.