ALBERT BENJAMIN CHANDLER, Governor of Kentucky (1936-39), is the son of Joseph S. CHANDLER and Callie SAUNDERS. He was born July 14, 1899, at Corydon, Henderson County, Kentucky. He attended the Corydon High School and after graduation entered Transylvania University where he received his B.S. degree. He studied law at Harvard, in 1921-22, later obtaining from the University of Kentucky a Bachelor of Laws degree. He began the practice of his profession at Versailles, Kentucky, in 1924 and in 1925; he was married to Mildred WATKINS, of Keysville, Virginia. After serving as master commissioner of Woodford County and a term in the State Senate, he was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1931. In November 1935, Albert Benjamin CHANDLER, popularly known as "Happy" CHANDLER throughout the State, became a candidate for governor, beginning his vigorous and colorful campaign "with a seventy-five dollar sound truck and a pitcher of ice water." He visited every county in the State, spoke five times each day, and sang the songs and hymns he had sung with applause during his student days. He was elected Governor by a majority of approximately 95,000, the largest received by any governor in Kentucky up to that time.

In 1938 Governor Chandler was defeated in his race for United States Senator against Alben W. BARKLEY, senior Senator from Kentucky. In October 1939, Senator M. M. LOGAN of Kentucky died. A few days later Governor Chandler resigned from the office of Governor, and Lt. Gov. Keen JOHNSON, who automatically became Governor, appointed ex-Governor Chandler to fill Senator LOGAN'S place in the Senate.

Story was found on pages 97 & 98 in the "Henderson, Home of Audubon". Henderson, Home of Audubon was compiled by the Workers of the Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Kentucky and sponsored by Susan Starling Towles, Librarian, Public Library, Henderson, KY.

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Contributed by Netta Mullin, HCH&GS
Copyright 2002 HCH&GS