John Painter (supercentenarian)
{{Short description|American supercentenarian (1888–2001)}}
{{Other people|John Painter}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = John Painter
| birth_name = John George Painter
| birth_date = {{birth date|1888|9|20}}
| birth_place = Jackson County, Tennessee, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date|2001|3|1}}
(aged {{age in years and days|1888|9|20|2001|3|1}})
| death_place = {{nowrap|Hermitage Springs, Tennessee}}
| known_for = {{bulleted list|Oldest living man (November 15, 1999 – March 1, 2001)}}
| module = {{infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance = {{flagicon|United States}} United States
| battles = World War I
| branch = {{army|US}}
| awards = Tennessee Distinguished Award, Legion of Honour, Croix de Guerre
| serviceyears = 1917–1919
}}
}}
John George Painter (20 September 1888 – 1 March 2001) was an American supercentenarian who was posthumously recognized as the world's oldest man and oldest American veteran.{{cite web|title=Table M – World's Oldest Men (WOM) Titleholders Since 1973|url=http://www.grg.org/Adams/m.HTM|website=Gerontology Research Group|accessdate=November 22, 2015|date=July 14, 2015|archive-date=September 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916110643/http://www.grg.org/Adams/m.HTM|url-status=dead}} He was also the first verified man who lived in three centuries (19th to the 21st centuries); Margaret Ann Neve was the first such person.
Biography
Painter was born on 20 September 1888, on a farm in Jackson County, Tennessee. As a child, he attended school and worked on the farm. Longevity ran in Painter's family; his father lived to 99, and his siblings lived to ages between 87 and 105.
In 1917, at age 29, he enlisted in the United States Army. As a part of Battery D in the 115th Artillery Battalion, he hauled ammunition and artillery supplies, including field guns, transporting all the supplies on horses or mules. Painter saw action at the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Eighty days after the armistice was declared on November 11, 1918, Painter received the highest French honor, the Légion d'honneur award. He also received the Croix de Guerre and was one of only six Tennessee World War I veterans to be awarded the Tennessee Distinguished Award. Painter had to leave his son, Sean Humphrey Painter, when he went to war. He was discharged from service on April 12, 1919, after serving in the army for two years.{{cite news|title=Oldest U.S. Veteran John Painter Dies|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/03/04/oldest-us-veteran-john-painter-dies/53cd158d-fed3-406b-a0b3-ef1e17da49c6//|newspaper=The Washington Post|accessdate=November 26, 2015|date=March 4, 2001}}
After his discharge, Painter pursued a career as a blacksmith and married his childhood sweetheart, Gillie Watson. The couple adopted two daughters. On 19 November 1999, Painter was recognized as the world's oldest veteran at age 111. On 20 September 2000, Tennessee Representative Bart Gordon read a proclamation in honor of John's 112th birthday.
Governor Don Sundquist also declared his birthday "John Painter Day" in Tennessee.
On March 1, 2001, John Painter died aged {{age in years and days|1888|9|20|2001|3|1}} at his home in Hermitage Springs, Tennessee of a heart attack.{{cite web|title=Oldest vet, WWI hero dies at 112|url=http://lubbockonline.com/stories/030301/nat_030301063.shtml#.VlZjeHbhDIU|website=Lubbock online|accessdate=November 26, 2015|date=March 4, 2001}}{{cite news|author=Bart Gordon|title=Honoring The 112th Birthday Of World War I Veteran John Painter|url=http://capitolwords.org/date/2000/09/20/E1539-2_honoring-the-112th-birthday-of-world-war-i-veteran/|newspaper=Congressional Record|accessdate=December 9, 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126102022/http://capitolwords.org/date/2000/09/20/E1539-2_honoring-the-112th-birthday-of-world-war-i-veteran/|archivedate=November 26, 2015}}{{cite news|url=http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section=9&screen=news&news_id=2326|title=News Briefs – Veteran Recognized|website=nashvillecitypaper.com|publisher=Nashville City Paper|date=March 6, 2001|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040703221246/http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section=9&screen=news&news_id=2326|archivedate=July 3, 2004}}
See also
References
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Category:United States Army personnel of World War I
Category:American supercentenarians
Category:American recipients of the Legion of Honour
Category:Men supercentenarians
Category:People from Jackson County, Tennessee
Category:American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
Category:United States Army soldiers
Category:Military personnel from Tennessee
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