  kenesaw mountain landis (; november 20, 1866&nbsp;â november 25, 1944) was an american jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and as the first commissioner of baseball from 1920 until his death. he is remembered for his handling of the black sox scandal, in which he expelled eight members of the chicago white sox from organized baseball for conspiring to lose the 1919 world series and repeatedly refused their reinstatement requests. his firm actions and iron rule over baseball in the near quarter-century of his commissionership are generally credited with restoring public confidence in the game. landis was born in millville, ohio in 1866, his name a spelling variation on the battle of kennesaw mountain in the american civil war, where his father was wounded in 1864. landis spent much of his youth in indiana; he left school at fifteen and worked in a series of positions in that state. his involvement in politics led to a civil service job. at age 21, landis applied to become a lawyerâthere were then no educational or examination requirements for the indiana bar. following a year of unprofitable practice, he went to law school. after his graduation, he opened an office in chicago, but left it when walter q. gresham, the new united states secretary of state, 
1866_births 1944_deaths American_lawyers American_people_of_Swiss_descent Deaths_from_myocardial_infarction History_of_baseball_in_the_United_States Illinois_Republicans Indiana_Republicans Industrial_Workers_of_the_World Judges_of_the_United_States_District_Court_for_the_Northern_District_of_Illinois Lawyers_from_Chicago,_Illinois Major_League_Baseball_commissioners National_Baseball_Hall_of_Fame_inductees Northwestern_University_School_of_Law_alumni People_from_Butler_County,_Ohio People_from_Cass_County,_Indiana United_States_district_court_judges_appointed_by_Theodore_Roosevelt