Rob Manfred is the Commissioner-Elect: Here's a brief history of Commissioners past

On Thursday Rob Manfred was chosen to succeed Bud Selig as the new Commissioner of Baseball. In honor of his election, here's a list of baseball's past Commissioners. 

1. Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis (1921-1944)

Yes, the first Commissioner of Baseball was legally named after a geographical formation. His father was injured in the Battle of Kenesaw Mountain during the Civil War, and the altercation gave Landis his name. He received a law degree from Union Law School (now Northwestern University) in 1891, and was appointed a United States District Judge by Teddy Roosevelt in 1905. When he was offered the Commissioner-ship, he took it under the condition that he would be able to keep his first job.

He was a very diligent worker: 

During his time as Commissioner, he banned the eight men responsible for the "Black Sox" scandal of 1919, saw the first developments of the farm system, and the first All-Star Game.

Shares given name with fictional warrior?  He is the Mountain who Commissions. 

Favorite teams: the Cubs and White Sox

2. A.B. "Happy" Chandler (1945-1951)

Before "Happy" Chandler was the Commissioner of Baseball, he served a term as the governor of Kentucky. After his first term, he became a senator. Many people who tread that path strive to become President. Chandler became the second Commissioner of Baseball instead.

He was considered "the player's Commissioner" by many, introducing the first pension fund for the men who played the game. During his tenure, he supported Jackie Robinson's introduction into the game and the breaking of the color barrier as a whole.

Has his own theme song? Clap along if you feel like Happy is the truth.

Could sing pretty well himself? Here he is performing "My Old Kentucky Home."

3. Ford Christopher Frick (1951 - 1965)

Before he became Commissioner, Ford Frick was the President of the National League for seventeen years. In his time there, he endorsed the creation of the National Baseball Museum and later the Hall of Fame. The first Commissioner not to come from a political or legal background, Frick was a baseball writer and radio broadcaster.

Frick presided over baseball's first expansion, seeing the number of teams grow from eight to ten and the number of games per season from 154 to 162.

Frick was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1970. The Hall created the Ford C. Frick Award in 1978 and presents the award annually to a baseball broadcaster for major contributions to the game.

Beat out stiff competition for the job? He was allegedly chosen over Generals Douglas MacArthur and Dwight Eisenhower

Shaped your opinions about classic baseball players? He was Babe Ruth's ghostwriter.

4. General William D. Eckert (1965-1968)

William Eckert graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1930, and served in the Air Force until 1961. In 1957, at the age of 48, he became the youngest three-star officer in the armed forces.

As Commissioner, he was responsible for smoothing baseball's business affairs and promoting the game overseas. His efforts led to the Dodgers' 1966 goodwill tour to Japan, on which he accompanied the team.

Indirectly responsible for some of baseball's greatest stars?  What kind of world would we live in if Ichiro Suzuki had never learned to play baseball?

Shares nickname with punk rock vampire? While playing college football, he earned the nickname "Spike," but he never dated Buffy Summers. 

5. Bowie Kent Kuhn (1969 - 1984)

Commissioner from 1969 - 1984, Bowie Kuhn's tenure is third to Landis' and second to current Commissioner Bud Selig's. Soon after he graduated from law school, Kuhn became a lawyer for the National League. Under his rule as Commissioner, he saw baseball expand from 20 to 26 teams and into Canada, and players' first right to free agency.

Here he is presenting the 1981 All-Star MVP Award to the Expos' Gary Carter: 

Looks great in gray leggings? You're thinking of someone else from the '80s.

Tallest commissioner in history? You bet - he was 6'5" (approximately 1.199 Altuves).

6. Peter Victor Ueberroth (1984 - 1988)

Before he became the sixth Commissioner, Peter Ueberroth was a vice president of Trans International Airlines and the President and CEO of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, with which he successfully organized the first private Olympic Games. He used his management experience to quickly resolve a potential Major League Umpires Union strike and to shorten a 1985 players' strike to one day.

His years as Commissioner saw four record seasons of attendance. He still spends time at the ballpark, and caught a foul ball earlier this season: 

Is friends with Clint Eastwood? They own a golf resort together.

Has something in common with Mahatma Ghandi? Both were named TIME's "Man of the Year."

7. A. Bartlett Giamatti (1988-1989)

With a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, A. Barlett Giamatti could get poetic about the sport that he loved:

While Commissioner, he created the role of deputy commissioner and enacted what amounted to a lifetime ban against Pete Rose.

Probably smarter than all of us? Yes, he was the 19th President of his Alma Mater -- Yale.

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Number: 3. One of his sons is actor Paul Giamatti, who was in Saving Private Ryan with Nathan Fillion who was in Super with Kevin Bacon.

8. Francis T. Vincent, Jr. (1989-1992) 

After Fay Vincent's first month as Commissioner, he was tasked with presiding over the 1989 World Series after it was interrupted by an earthquake. He also saw the addition of two expansion franchises in Denver and Miami, bringing the leagues' total to 28.

Probably friends with Steven Spielberg? He was the President and CEO of Columbia Pictures in 1978, the year Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released.

Has a nickname for George Bush? According to the New York Times, he calls his old friend "Poppy." 

9. Allan H. "Bud" Selig (1998 - 2015)

Bud Seling, baseball's ninth Commissioner and Milwaukee's favorite son, bought the Seattle Pilots in 1970 and brought baseball back to Wisconsin. His time as Commissioner brought many new elements to baseball, including regular interleague play, an unbalanced schedule, extra playoff tiers, the Wild Card and as of this year, expanded instant replay.

He presided over the creation of MLB Advanced Media, oversaw the first World Baseball Classic, and saw baseball's popularity expand, attracting a record total of 76,042,787 fans in 2006.  

Friends with other Milwaukee team owners? His college roommate was Senator Herb Kohl, former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Has an academic streak? He teaches a sports and law course at Marquette University and plans to also teach at the University of Wisconsin after he retires.

10. Rob Manfred (2015 - ) 

Rob Manfred, chosen on Thursday to replace Selig upon his retirement, joined MLB in 1998 as the Executive Vice President of Economics and League Affairs, where he led negotiations that resulted in new collective bargaining agreements. In 2013, he became the Chief Operating Officer.

After Selig's retirement at the end of the 2014 season, Manfred will begin his term as Commissioner.

What do he and Andy from The Office have in common? They both went to Cornell.

Can he, like Andy, play the banjo? We can only hope. 

Good luck, Commissioner-Elect Manfred, and welcome to the club: