The Golden Era Committee was one of three 16-member committees appointed by the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2010 to replace the National Baseball Hall of FameCommittee on Baseball Veterans, which had been formed in 1953. All of these committees were established to consider and elect eligible candidates to the Hall of Fame who were not elected via the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot. The Golden Era Committee considered players no longer eligible for election via BBWAA balloting—along with managers, umpires, and executives—from the 1947 to 1972 era. Half of the committee's 16 members were Hall of Fame inductees, and the balance were baseball executives and media members. A BBWAA-appointed Historical Overview Committee would identify ten candidates for consideration by the Golden Era Committee every three years. The Golden Era Committee considered nominees in 2011 and in 2014. In July 2016, the Hall of Fame announced a restructuring of committees; the Golden Era Committee was superseded by the Golden Days Committee, to consider candidates from 1950 to 1969.
Golden Era Ballot candidates
Eligibility requirements
Players: Having played in at least 10 major league seasons, not being on Major League Baseball's ineligibility list, and having been retired for 21 or more seasons.
Managers and umpires: Having served for at least 10 seasons, not being on Major League Baseball's ineligibility list, and having either been retired for at least five years or both attained 65 years of age and been retired for at least six months.
Executives: Having either been retired for at least five years or attained 65 years of age.
All candidates receiving votes on at least 75% of ballots cast will earn election.
Executives : Paul Beeston, Bill Dewitt, Ronald Hemond, Gene Michael
Media members : Dick Kaegel, Jack O'Connell, and Dave Van Dyck
Golden Era ballot and vote totals
The Golden Era Committee elected Ron Santo to the National Baseball Hall of Fame with 15 out of 16 of their votes. With a 75 percent vote needed for election, Santo was the first and only Golden Era Ballot candidate elected to the Hall of Fame Class of 2012. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held on Sunday, July 22, 2012, in Cooperstown, New York. was a member of the Golden Era Committee in 2011.
Candidate
Category
Votes
Percent
Ron Santo
Player
15
93.75%
Jim Kaat
Player
10
62.5%
Gil Hodges
Player
9
56.25%
Minnie Miñoso
Player
9
56.25%
Tony Oliva
Player
8
50%
Buzzie Bavasi
Executive
3
18.75%
Ken Boyer
Player
3
18.75%
Charlie Finley
Executive
3
18.75%
Allie Reynolds
Player
3
18.75%
Luis Tiant
Player
3
18.75%
denotes inducted to the Hall of Fame
2014 Election (for Hall of Fame class of 2015)
Golden Era Committee members
The Golden Era Committee's 16-member voting electorate, appointed by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors, was announced at the same time as the ballot of 10 candidates. All of the Hall of Fame members on this committee were inducted as players, except for executive Pat Gillick.
Committee chairman and secretary : Jane Forbes Clark
The ballot for election by the Golden Era Committee was released on October 30, 2014; the committee voted at the MLB winter meetings in San Diego on December 8, 2014, with the results announced by MLB immediately thereafter. Election criteria remained the standard 75%, or 12 of 16 votes. None of the candidates received enough votes, continuing a long period of difficulty in electing players eligible under the Hall's special committees; the last living player elected to the Hall after the expiration of their BBWAA eligibility was Bill Mazeroski in 2001. missed election to the Hall of Fame by a single vote in 2014.
