Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1939

The 1939 elections to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame were the last ones conducted prior to the Hall's opening that year. Needing just one addition to complete the initial goal of 10 inductees from the 20th century, members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) were once again given authority to select any players active in the 20th century, excepting active players. Difficulties in convening the Centennial Commission of the previous two years led to an even smaller Old-Timers Committee selecting inductees from the 19th century - a cause of particular urgency to many who had been anticipating the five promised but unfulfilled selections in that area for over three years.

The BBWAA special election

At the major league winter meetings in Cincinnati in December 1939, the BBWAA held a special election in which Lou Gehrig - who had announced his retirement just after the Hall's opening - was elected to membership in the Hall of Fame. The BBWAA also moved to postpone the next regular election until 1942, as the initial quota of 10 inductees from the 20th century had been met.

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