Ban Johnson Marquee Hall of Fame 1937

Ban Johnson was a Cincinnati newspaperman before he turned a minor circuit into the American League and ran it for a quarter of a century. Born in January 1865 and dead in March 1931, he was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Centennial Commission in 1937.

He took a minor circuit, renamed it the American League for 1901, raided National League rosters and forced the older league to treat his as an equal within two years. He backed his umpires against managers as a matter of policy, which was new, and the modern World Series exists because the two leagues he brought to a standstill needed something to do together.

The Black Sox scandal of 1919 broke his authority. The owners wanted a single commissioner with power over everyone, Johnson included, and got one in Kenesaw Landis. He fought Landis for years and lost, and resigned in 1927 in poor health.