Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1949 followed the rules in place since 1947, which had governed two successful elections of recent players. The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from players retired less than 25 years, with provision for a runoff in case of no winner. This year the runoff was necessary to elect one person, Charlie Gehringer. Meanwhile, the Old-Timers Committee, which met on no schedule and not since 1946, responded again to the continuing calls for election of more of the game's earlier stars. It selected Mordecai Brown and Kid Nichols.

An induction ceremony was held in Cooperstown, New York, on June 13, 1949, for inductees of both 1948 and 1949. Of the five total inductees, Kid Nichols and Pie Traynor attended, while Charlie Gehringer was unable to attend. Mordecai Brown and Herb Pennock had both died in 1948. Dignitaries present included National League president Ford Frick, Hall of Fame founder Stephen Carlton Clark, Hall of Fame president Bob Quinn, and Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey.