Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, a colorful orator and two-term governor, began his law practice in Versailles and lived there. A Henderson County native, he served as state senator and lieutenant governor before becoming governor in 1935 and 1955, and as a U.S. senator from 1939 to 1945. As governor, he was the driving force behind establishment of the University of Kentucky Medical Center, later named in his honor. As baseball commissioner, he approved Jackie Robinson's contract in 1947, making Robinson the first black player in major league baseball. Chandler was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982 and is buried at the Pisgah Presbyterian Church Cemetery in this county.