James King (1854–1967) former oldest man ever validated posthumously
The Gerontology Research Group is delighted to announce the age validation of the former world’s oldest living person and oldest undisputed man ever, James Monroe King.
James Monroe King was born in Independence County, Arkansas, USA on 15 November 1854. After the death of his parents, he and his two brothers Mack and William relocated to Missouri in the 1860s. King moved to Franklin Parish, Louisiana in 1870.
During his life, he had multiple jobs such as a school board member, merchant, farmer, and carpenter. He was married to Clara Brinsfield and the couple had 10 children in total. Clara died in 1928 at the age of 69.
His secrets to a long life included hard work and avoiding tobacco. One of his sons, Dr. Brinsfield King (1886–1987) died at the age of 100.
On 22 November 1962, following the death of 108-year-old William Smith of West Virginia, he became the world’s oldest known living man.
On 30 December 1964, following the death of 113-year-old Mary Kelly of California, he became the world’s oldest living person.
On 16 November 1965, at the age of 111 years, 2 days, he became the oldest documented man ever, surpassing Robert Early‘s previous record of 111 years, 1 day.
James King died in Winnsboro, Franklin Parish, Louisiana, USA on 5 June 1967 at the age of 112 years, 202 days.
His age was verified by Robert Young, Daniel Gonik and Waclaw Jan Kroczek, and in cooperation with Guinness World Records, posthumously validated by the Gerontology Research Group with a retroactive date in the slot on 9 November 2019.