Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1955 followed a system established for odd-number years in 1953. The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from recent major league players and elected four:

Joe DiMaggio: Joe DiMaggio became an American hero at a time when Americans had little to feel heroic about. He was an American idol when America struggled with idealism. This wonderful ballplayer exhibited grace and class in a game that less than two decades prior had been blemished by a gambling scandal. DiMaggio attracted attention years after his retirement not just for his exploits on the diamond, but for his extraordinary traits as an American.

Gabby Hartnett: Gabby Hartnett willed the Chicago Cubs to the 1938 National League pennant, hitting a dramatic home run on September 28 against the Pirates in Wrigley Field, vaulting the Cubs past the Bucs into first place. The popular Hartnett played in four World Series for the Cubs but never tasted victory. He won the 1935 National League Most Valuable Player Award when he hit .344 with 91 RBI in 116 games, and he was the best catcher in the NL prior to World War II. His impressive offensive skills landed him in Cooperstown in 1955.

Ted Lyons: Ted Lyons was a hard-luck pitcher who won 260 games despite pitching for the Chicago White Sox, who posted a .447 winning percentage when he didn't get the decision. After skipping the minor leagues to go directly to the bigs, he won at least 10 games 17 times, and reached 20 victories on three occasions. Lyons began his career as a teammate of Eddie Collins, who started his career in 1906, and ended it as a teammate of Dave Philley, who retired in 1962. Lyons threw a no-hitter against the Red Sox on August 21, 1926.

Dazzy Vance: One of the best pitchers in baseball during the 1920s, Dazzy Vance toiled for poor Brooklyn teams much of his career. The right-hander didn't win his first game in the majors until after his 31st birthday - yet he went on to eight strikeout titles, 197 wins, a no-hitter, and the first National League Most Valuable Player Award.

The Veterans Committee met in closed sessions to consider executives, managers, umpires, and earlier players. It selected two players:

Frank Baker: It isn’t easy living up to the nickname “Home Run”, but Frank Baker did so as the best home run hitter of the pre-World War I era. In the 1911 World Series he hit clutch game-winning or game-tying home runs in back-to-back games against the Giants, and he led his league in the category four straight seasons.

Ray Schalk: Schalk played much of his career at 5'9" and 165 pounds, yet he caught 100 or more games in a season 12 times, and retired as the major league record holder for most games behind the plate. He called four no-hit games, also a record, and he was considered a master handler of pitchers. His White Sox teams had one of the finest pitching staffs of their era, and he helped the club to two World Series appearances, including their last title. But he is often remembered for being one of the honest men in the 1919 World Series, in which eight of his teammates conspired to throw their games against the Reds.

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