Jens Peter Westergaard, Denmark’s oldest living man, celebrated his 110th birthday
Gerontology Research Group is pleased to announce that Mr. Jens Peter Westergaard, the oldest living man in Denmark and the oldest man ever in Denmark, on 26 April 2024, celebrated his 110th birthday in Fredericia, Syddanmark region, Denmark, becoming the first male supercentenarian ever recorded in Denmark.
Jens Peter Westergaard was born in Odense, Syddanmark region, Denmark on 26 April 1914.
In 1944, he married Gerda Nygaard Pedersen in Odense. This marriage would last for 25 years before Gerda’s death. He would later remarry, getting engaged with another woman named Inge, with whom this marriage would last for 17 years before her death. After the death of his second wife he was in a relationship with a third woman named Nina, who also died 17 years after they met, although they never married.
He managed public transportation in his city, and oversaw the transition from trams to buses in Odense. He retired at age 70.
At the age of 104, when asked if he ever thought about the future, he replied that he had experienced everything he wanted to in life, and was against the idea of doctors trying to prolong his life. He stated that while he was content with his life in old age, he did miss being able to ride his bicycle.
He became the oldest living man in Denmark and Nordic region, following the death of 108-year-old Eloff Gyldvig Rasmussen on 9 October 2020.
He became the oldest living person in Syddanmark region, following the death of 108-year-old Grethe Pedersen on 18 February 2021.
On 28 March 2024, he surpassed the final age o Georg Jensen (1906–2016) of 109 years, 336 days, becoming the oldest man to ever reside in Denmark, despite this he is not the oldest man ever born in Denmark, because Christian Mortensen (1882–1998) died in the USA at the age of 115 years, 252 days.
Jens Peter Westergaard moved from Odense in 2020, and currently lives at Othello in Fredericia, Syddanmark region, Denmark at the age of 110. He is currently the oldest known living person in Syddanmark, and the second-oldest known living person in Denmark, behind 110-year-old Kirsten Schwalbe. He is also the last surviving Danish man born before 1918 and the last surviving Nordic man born before 1916.
