Gertrude Baines American centenarian, Guinness World Record holder Date of Birth: 06.04.1894 Country: USA

1. American Centenarian, Guinness World Record Holder
2. Early Life and Marriage
3. Later Years
4. Passing and Legacy

American Centenarian, Guinness World Record Holder

Gertrude Baines was an American centenarian and the Guinness World Record holder. From January 2, 2009, after the death of Portuguese woman Maria de Jesus, until her own death on September 11, 2009, Gertrude Baines was believed by some reputable media outlets and longevity foundations to be the oldest living person at the age of 115.

Early Life and Marriage

Gertrude Baines was born on April 6, 1894, in the town of Shellman, Georgia, USA. At a very young age, she got married to Sam Conley. In 1909, they had a daughter named Annabel, who sadly passed away at the age of 18 from typhoid fever.

Later Years

In her final years, Baines resided in a nursing home in Los Angeles. She had lived at home until the age of 105. Baines, the daughter of former slaves, voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 US presidential election. Prior to that, she had only voted once, for John F. Kennedy. On November 11, 2008, Gertrude Baines became the oldest known person ever born in Georgia, and 15 days later, she became the oldest living American. On January 2, 2009, after the death of the previous record holder, Gertrude became the oldest person on Earth with a verified age.

Passing and Legacy

Gertrude Baines passed away in a hospital on September 11, 2009, at the age of 115 years and 158 days, making her one of the 16 oldest people to have ever lived on Earth. According to doctors, complications related to a previous heart attack were the cause of her death. Following Baines' death, the oldest living person on Earth became Kamato Hongo, a 114-year-old Japanese woman who passed away on May 2, 2010, at the age of 114 years and 357 days, on the island of Okinawa.