Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1945

The 1945 elections to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame included the first regular election to be conducted in three years, and only the second since 1939; in that year, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) had moved to hold elections every three years rather than annually. 1945 also witnessed the first attempt to elect figures from 19th century baseball since the Hall had opened in 1939.

Related Topics:
1945 - Baseball Hall of Fame - Baseball Writers Association of America - 1939

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In response to increasing complaints that the stars of the 19th century were being ignored, commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis had in August 1944 enlarged the Hall of Fame Committee from four members to seven, and had instructed them to elect a minimum of 10 players from the 1876-1900 period when they met as the Old-Timers Committee in early 1945 - a goal the committee members believed would be relatively easy to meet, as some among them stated that the number of qualified candidates was likely over two dozen. After Landis' death in November 1944, the committee met briefly to elect Landis to membership in the Hall, and also suggested that if the January 1945 election by the BBWAA failed to select any players whose careers extended into the initial years of the 20th century, some would be selected by the committee when they met in February.

Related Topics:
Kenesaw Mountain Landis - Hall of Fame Committee - 1876 - 1900 - Met briefly

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