John Painter

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John Painter (Tennessee, September 20, 1888 - March 1, 2001) died aged 112 years and 162 days. At his death he was (posthumously) recognized as the oldest American veteran, as a result of the USA's SSA supercentenarian study. Mr. Painter was also the last surviving U.S. World War I veteran to be born in the 1880s. Only recently he was also proclaimed to have been the world's oldest man at the time.

The June 1900 Census listed him as born in September 1888, while the 1910 Census said he was 19, and the 1920 Census said he was 28 years old. But because the oldest document was closer to the birth event, it is more likely to be correct.

A World War I veteran of Battery D, 115th Artillery Battalion[1], Mr. Painter was mainly involved in hauling supplies. He left behind one son: Sean Humphrey Painter.

On September 20, 2000, Bart Gordon, representative from Tennessee, read the following proclamation in honor of John's 112th birthday:

  • Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish a happy 112th birthday to Tennessee's oldest surviving World War I veteran, John George Painter of Hermitage Springs. He is also believed to be the nation's oldest surviving veteran.
  • Born on September 20, 1888, in the Keeling Branch community of Jackson County, Tennessee, Mr. Painter enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 29 to fight what was then called the "War to End All Wars".
  • Mr. Painter saw action in France's Argonne Forest where he hauled ammunition and field guns to the front lines with teams of horses and mules. He was honorably discharged on April 12, 1919, and returned home to Jackson County, where he resumed his career as a blacksmith. There he married his childhood sweetheart — the former Gillie Watson — and raised two daughters.
  • Mr. Painter's courage during that brutal war earned him one of France's highest honors, the order of the Légion d'honneur (it should be noted that those who were still alive 80 years after the war ended received it, not for what they did but for still being alive). Only five other Tennesseans have received the distinguished award.
  • As we celebrate Mr. Painter's birthday today, I congratulate him for the tremendous contributions he has made to the United States and to the never-ending fight for freedom.[2]
Preceded by
Antonio Urrea-Hernández		 Oldest Recognized Living Man
November 15, 1999 - March 1, 2001		 Succeeded by
Antonio Todde

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