Kenesaw Mountain Landis (; November 20, 1866 – 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.