Kenesaw Mountain Landis

Kenesaw Mountain Landis (November 20, 1866 – November 25, 1944) was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922, and subsequently as the first commissioner of Major League Baseball. Born in Millville, Ohio to Abraham Hoch Landis and Mary (Kumler) Landis, he died in Chicago. His name comes from a variant spelling of Kennesaw Mountain in Georgia, where his father, a physician, fought on the Union side and lost a leg during the American Civil War at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Two of his brothers, Charles Beary Landis (1858-1922) and Frederick Landis (1872-1934), served in the United States Congress. Kenesaw Mountain Landis in 1907. ... Kenesaw Mountain Landis in 1907. ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... A jurist is a professional who studies, develops, applies or otherwise deals with the law. ... A federal judge is a judge appointed in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution. ... In 1920, the owners of Major League Baseball, in order to reestablish confidence of fans in the sport following the Black Sox Scandal, established the office of Commissioner of Baseball. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Millville is a village located in Butler County, Ohio. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in Chicagoland and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Kennesaw Mountain is a mountain between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Battle of Kennesaw Mountain Conflict American Civil War Date June 27, 1864 Place Kennesaw, Georgia Result Confederate victory The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864 during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. ... Type Bicameralism Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D, since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D, since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican...

Judicial career

After being appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt to the bench of the Northern District of Illinois in 1905, Landis dealt with several cases of historical significance during his career as a US federal judge. In 1907, he presided over a Standard Oil antitrust trial fining them $29 million for accepting rail freight rebates, although the verdict was later set aside. In 1918, he held the trial of over 100 members of the Industrial Workers of the World (including Big Bill Haywood) for supposed violation (hindering the draft) of the Espionage Act of 1917. He also presided over the trial of several Socialist Party leaders, including Milwaukee editor and Congressman Victor Berger. While Landis oversaw the convictions of many in these trials, most of the verdicts were reversed on appeal, or nullified by presidential pardon. He was instrumental in getting African-American heavyweight champion Jack Johnson banned from the sport by charging him with transporting a white woman over state lines.^[1] Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, Jr. ... The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is comprised of the following counties, divided into two divisions: The eastern division: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, La Salle, Lake, and Will counties. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Standard Oil (Esso) was a predominant integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. ... This article is about anti-competitive business behavior. ... The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union currently headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. At its peak in 1923 the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. ... William Dudley Big Bill Haywood (February 4, 1869–May 18, 1928) was a prominent figure in American radical unionism as a leader in the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) and later as a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). ... The United States has employed conscription (mandatory military service, also called the draft) several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War. ... The Espionage Act of 1917 was a United States federal law passed shortly after entering World War I, on June 15, 1917, which made it a crime for a person to convey information with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the armed forces of the United States... The Socialist Party of America (SPA) is a socialist political party in the United States. ... Victor Luitpold Berger (February 28, 1860 - August 7, 1929) was a United States politician and a founding member of the Socialist Party of America. ... John Arthur Johnson(March 31, 1878 – June 10, 1946), better known as Jack Johnson and nicknamed the Galveston Giant, was an American boxer and arguably the best heavyweight of his generation. ...

The end of Landis' judicial career overlapped his duties as baseball commissioner, a position he accepted in November, 1920. In February, 1922, Landis resigned his position as a Federal judge saying that, "There aren't enough hours in the day for me to handle the courtroom and the various other jobs I have taken on."^[2] Throughout 1921 Landis came under intense criticism for his moonlighting, and congressional members called for his impeachment.

Baseball commissioner

Kenesaw Mountain Landis is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

While serving as a federal judge, Landis was selected as chairman of a new National Commission of baseball. The owners decided to appoint a commission made up entirely of non-baseball men to restore confidence in the sport following the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, perhaps the worst of a number of incidents that jeopardized the integrity of the game. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 915 KB) Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY, Feb. ... The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, is a semi-official museum operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of baseball-related... 1919 Chicago White Sox team photo The Black Sox Scandal refers to a number of events that took place around and during the play of the 1919 World Series. ...

However, Landis would only accept an appointment as sole commissioner. He also demanded unlimited authority over all aspects of the organized game. The owners, still reeling from the perception that the sport was crooked, readily agreed.

Landis' first act was to deal with the Black Sox Scandal. He banned eight players suspected of involvement in the fix for life, including Buck Weaver and superstar Shoeless Joe Jackson. Although they had been acquitted in court, Landis argued that the need to clean up baseball's reputation took precedence over any legal judgements. He dealt harshly with others proven to have thrown individual games or consorted with gamblers. Among the others he banned were New York Giants players Phil Douglas, Benny Kauff and Jimmy O'Connell, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Gene Paulette, Giants coach Cozy Dolan, and (in 1943) Phillies owner William D. Cox. He also formalized the unoffcial banishments of Hal Chase and Heinie Zimmerman. George Daniel Buck Weaver (August 18, 1890 - January 31, 1956) was an American shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago White Sox. ... Joseph Jefferson Shoeless Joe Jackson (July 16, 1888 – December 5, 1951) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. ... Major league affiliations National League (1883–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers NY, NY, 3, 4, 11, 24, 27, 30, 36, 42, 44 Name San Francisco Giants (1958–present) New York Giants (1885-1957) New York Gothams (1883-1885) Troy Union Cities / Trojans (1879-1882) Ballpark AT... Benjamin Michael Kauff (January 5, 1890 – November 17, 1961) was a professional baseball player. ... Major league affiliations National League (1883–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 14, 20, 32, 36, 42 Name Philadelphia Phillies (1883–present) Philadelphia Quakers (1882) (Commonly referred to as Blue Jays 1943-1945 despite formal name remaining Phillies) Ballpark Citizens Bank Park (2004–present) Veterans Stadium... Hal Chase, of the Chicago White Sox, at Comiskey Park. ... Henry Zimmerman (born February 9, 1887 in New York, New York - March 14, 1969) was a major league baseball player in the early 20th century. ...

The owners had hoped he would then settle into a comfortable retirement as the titular head of baseball. Instead, Landis established a fiercely independent Commissioner's Office that would go on to often make both players and owners miserable with decisions that were, generally, in the best interests of the game. He worked to clean up the hooliganism that was tarnishing the reputation of players in the 1920s, and inserted his office into negotiations with players where he deemed appropriate to end a few of the labor practices of owners like Charles Comiskey that had contributed to the players' discontent. Charles Comiskey baseball card, 1887 Charles Albert Comiskey (August 15, 1859 - October 26, 1931) was a Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner. ...

Landis perpetuated the color line and prolonged the segregation of organized baseball. His successor Happy Chandler said, "For twenty-four years Judge Landis wouldn't let a black man play. I had his records, and I read them, and for twenty-four years Landis consistently blocked any attempts to put blacks and whites together on a big league field."^[3] Club owner Bill Veeck claimed Landis prevented him from purchasing the Phillies when Landis learned of Veeck's plan to integrate the team. The signing of the first black ballplayer, Jackie Robinson, came less than a year after Landis's death, on the watch of the new, progressive Commissioner A. B. "Happy" Chandler and was engineered by one of Landis's old nemeses, Branch Rickey. Eleven weeks after Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Veeck became the first American League owner to break the color line. The baseball color line was the policy, unwritten for nearly its entire duration, which excluded African American baseball players from organized baseball in the United States before 1946. ... Albert Chandler Albert Benjamin Chandler, Sr. ... William Louis Veeck Jr. ... Jack Roosevelt Jackie Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) became the first African-American Major League Baseball player of the modern era in 1947. ... Albert Chandler Albert Benjamin Chandler, Sr. ... 1914 E145 Crackerjack Branch Rickey Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an innovative Major League Baseball executive best known for two things: breaking baseballs color barrier by signing the African-American player Jackie Robinson, and later drafting the first Hispanic superstar, Roberto Clemente; and creating... Major league affiliations National League (1890–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 2, 4, 19, 20, 24, 32, 39, 42, 53 Name Los Angeles Dodgers (1958–present) Brooklyn Dodgers (1932-1957) Brooklyn Robins (1914-1931) Brooklyn Dodgers (1911-1912) Brooklyn Superbas (1899-1910), (1913) Brooklyn Grooms... American League The American League (or formally the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States of America and Canada. ...

Landis tried to curb the growth of minor league farm systems by innovators such as Rickey, in the name of protecting the lower levels of professional ball. Landis argued that because a parent club could unilaterally call up players from teams which were involved in pennant races, the organization was unfairly interfering with the minor competitions; his position was that the championship of each minor league was of no less importance than the championships of the major leagues, and that minor league fans and supporters had the right to see their teams competing as best they could. Yet he also prevented the formation of a powerful third major league when he stopped Pants Rowland from upgrading the Pacific Coast League in the 1940s. A Class A California League game in San Jose, California (1994) Minor baseball leagues are North American professional baseball leagues that compete at a level below that of Major League Baseball. ... Clarence Henry Pants Rowland (February 12, 1879 - May 17, 1969) was a Major League Baseball manager for the Chicago White Sox from 1915 through 1918 who went on to become a major figure in minor league baseball. ... The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a minor league baseball league operating in the West and Midwest of the United States. ...

One of the schemes he fought was the effort by major-league teams to "cover up" players they were hiding in their farm systems. The term, not used in formal communications by league or team officials, referred to players clandestinely signed by a major-league team to a minor-league contract. Occasionally one team would serendipitously find such a player in the off-season draft, as in this occasion recorded in the book Dodger Daze and Kinghts: All the clubowners and managers, and Commissioner Landis, were assembled to conduct the draft. One team said he "claim[s] Player [Paul] Richards of Brooklyn." "You can't do that!" barked a surprised Wilbert Robinson, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. "Why not?" asked Landis. "Because Brooklyn has him covered up," sputtered Robbie. Most of the others broke down laughing. Even Landis smirked.

He also showed his sense of humor at the start of the fifth game of the 1929 World Series, under the oddest of circumstances. The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Athletics had been trading vile invective during the first four games, and Landis called managers Joe McCarthy and Connie Mack to his office and said the culprits would forfeit a full Series share. Mack told his team, but hot-headed Mickey Cochrane, the A's' catcher, hollered to the Cubs, "After the game we'll serve tea in the clubhouse." Mack warned Cochrane that he risked a fine or suspension for the remark. After the game, however, Landis visited the A's clubhouse. He approached Cochrane, shook his hand and asked, "Now, where's the tea?" The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Chicago Cubs in 5 games. ... Major league affiliations National League (1876–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 10, 14, 23, 26, 42 Name Chicago Cubs (1902–present) Chicago Orphans (1898-1901) Chicago Colts (1890-1897) Chicago White Stockings (1870-1889) (a. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 9, 27, 34, 42, 43, (As) Name Oakland Athletics (1968–present) Kansas City Athletics (1955-1967) Philadelphia Athletics (1901-1954) (Referred to as As) Ballpark McAfee Coliseum (1968–present) a. ... Joseph Vincent McCarthy (April 21, 1887 - January 13, 1978) was an American manager in Major League Baseball, most renowned for his leadership of the Bronx Bombers teams of the New York Yankees from 1931 to 1946. ... Connie Mack baseball card, 1910 Cornelius Alexander Mack (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), born Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. ... Gordon Stanley Mickey Cochrane (April 6, 1903-June 28, 1962) was a Scottish-American catcher and manager in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers. ... The position of the catcher Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in cricket. ... Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ...

Whether his decisions were praised or criticized, he was satisfied with being respected and feared. Dubbed 'the baseball tyrant' by journalists of the day, his rule was absolute. In the context of ensuring the integrity of the game itself, baseball historians generally regard him as the right man at the right time when appointed, but also as a man who perhaps held office too long.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1944, in a special election held one month after his death. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 62 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, is a semi-official museum operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of baseball-related... See previous election: 1942 and next election: 1945 There was no regular election in 1944 to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame; in 1939 the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) had moved to hold elections every three years rather than annually, and the next scheduled election was...

Major League Baseball's Most Valuable Player Award is officially known as the Kenesaw Mountain Landis Award in his honor. In the game of baseball, both amateur and professional, it is tradition to annually recognize the one player in the league who has contributed the most to the success of the players team. ...

Landis's body is interred in the Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago. Oak Woods Cemetery was established in 1854 at 1035 E. 67th Street in Chicago, Illinois. ...

See also: List of Major League Baseball figures that have been banned for life#People banned under Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis

Since baseballs evolution from exhibition to professional sport, a number of players, executives (up to and including team owners), and others have been banned from the sport for the remainder of their lifetimes, and in some cases banned forever. ...

Popular culture

• Kenesaw Mountain Landis is featured in a song of the same title by folk/rock singer Jonathan Coulton.
• Kenesaw Mountain Landis is portrayed in Philip Roth's 1973 book, The Great American Novel.

Jonathan Coulton is an esoteric folk rock singer. ... The Great American Novel is a 1973 novel by Philip Roth. ...

Bibliography

• Pietrusza, David, Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, South Bend (IN): Diamond Communications, 1998.
• Spink, J. G. Taylor, Judge Landis and Twenty-Five Years of Baseball, New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1947.

External links

• Baseball Hall of Fame
• A Brief Biography
• An Obituary
• Lyrics to 'Kenesaw Mountain Landis' by Jonathan Coulton

Jonathan Coulton is an esoteric folk rock singer. ...

References

1. ^ ESPN.com: Johnson boxed, lived on own terms
2. ^ "Landis Quits Bench for Baseball Job; Boomed for Mayor"; New York Times, Feb. 18, 1922
3. ^ Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers by Peter Golenbock