Mamie Eva Keith
Encyclopedia
Mamie Eva Walter Keith was an American supercentenarian
and the oldest recognized person in the world
from February 21, 1986 until her death seven months later in the Winchester House nursing home, Libertyville, Illinois
. Keith was a teacher
in an elementary school
in Anna, Illinois
, where she was born.
Keith, who lived in Illinois
, succeeded the now disputed Shigechiyo Izumi
of Japan, and was included in the Guinness Book of Records 1987 edition. She became the world's oldest living woman in December 1985, when 113-year-old Ollie Bay died in Illinois. Keith was the last person to become 'world's oldest' at 112 years of age, having been a month shy of 113 in February 1986. Despite claims of other people being older, 23 years of research have so far failed to identify anyone older (for the February 1986 – September 1986 period) whose age can be verified, although the claim of 115 year old Augusta Holtz is now pending, with evidence as being born in August 1871, and lived to October 1986, outliving Keith. She lived for 113 years 182 days.
Keith's father was a veteran of the American Civil War
, where he served under Gen. William T. Sherman
. Keith is said to have remembered hearing the news of Custer's Last Stand
, a battle fought when she was three years old.
Supercentenarian
A supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....
and the oldest recognized person in the world
Oldest people
This is a list of tables of the verified oldest people in the world in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. In these tables, a supercentenarian is considered 'verified' if his or her claim has been validated by an international body that specifically deals in longevity research, such...
from February 21, 1986 until her death seven months later in the Winchester House nursing home, Libertyville, Illinois
Libertyville, Illinois
Libertyville is an affluent northern suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It is located west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2000 census population was 20,742; the 2005 estimate was 21,760...
. Keith was a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
in an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
in Anna, Illinois
Anna, Illinois
Anna is a city in Union County, Illinois, United States. Located in Southern Illinois, the population was 5,136 at the 2000 census. The city is known for being tied to its close neighbor Jonesboro, together known as Anna-Jonesboro. Anna is well renowned for the Anna State Mental Hospital or the...
, where she was born.
Keith, who lived in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, succeeded the now disputed Shigechiyo Izumi
Shigechiyo Izumi
was a Japanese centenarian who was titled the oldest living person after the death of Niwa Kawamoto, also from Japan. His case was first verfied by Guinness World Records, who titled him the oldest person ever, but Guinness have in recent years backed from their previous statement; in the Guinness...
of Japan, and was included in the Guinness Book of Records 1987 edition. She became the world's oldest living woman in December 1985, when 113-year-old Ollie Bay died in Illinois. Keith was the last person to become 'world's oldest' at 112 years of age, having been a month shy of 113 in February 1986. Despite claims of other people being older, 23 years of research have so far failed to identify anyone older (for the February 1986 – September 1986 period) whose age can be verified, although the claim of 115 year old Augusta Holtz is now pending, with evidence as being born in August 1871, and lived to October 1986, outliving Keith. She lived for 113 years 182 days.
Keith's father was a veteran of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, where he served under Gen. William T. Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
. Keith is said to have remembered hearing the news of Custer's Last Stand
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
, a battle fought when she was three years old.
External links
- Guinness Book of RecordsGuinness World RecordsGuinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
, 1987 edition