Susannah Mushatt Jones American centenarian Date of Birth: 06.07.1899 Country: USA

Biography of Susanna Mushatt Jones

Susanna Mushatt Jones was an American supercentenarian who lived for 116 years and 311 days. She was the oldest living person on Earth and the last surviving American born in the 19th century. Jones received recognition from the United States House of Representatives and the Alabama House of Representatives for her incredible life spanning three centuries.

Susanna Mushatt Jones was born on July 6, 1899, in Lowndes County, Alabama, to parents Callie and Mary Mushatt. She was the third child and eldest daughter among eleven siblings. Her ancestry included Native Americans from North America. Her parents were African-American sharecroppers who worked the same land that Susanna's grandparents did. According to census data, her grandfather, a former slave, lived to be 117 years old.

In her youth, Jones worked on a cotton plantation and strived to escape the hardships of such a life. On March 4, 1922, she graduated from Calhoun School, where her report card showed her success in studying "Negro music in France." After completing school, Jones intended to become a teacher and was accepted into the Teacher's College at Tuskegee Institute. Unfortunately, her parents could not afford her education, and in 1923, Susanna moved to New York, where the civil rights movement for African Americans was gaining momentum.

In 1928, Susanna married Henry Jones, but they divorced in 1933. Many years later, in 2011, she stated that she didn't know what happened to her ex-husband. They did not have any children together. Jones worked for wealthy families, taking care of their children for seven dollars a week. During this time, she also supported many of her relatives who had migrated to New York. She used part of her savings to establish "The Calhoun Club," a scholarship fund for African-American high school students. For nearly thirty years, Jones was actively involved in her community, including participating in neighborhood patrols as part of the "People's Watch."

In 1965, Jones retired and moved in with her niece, Lavilla Watson, helping to care for her young son. At the time of her death, Susanna resided in the Vandalia Senior Center, a nursing home in East Brooklyn, New York. She had more than 100 nieces and nephews. In her final years, Jones became blind and partially deaf. She became less talkative and relied on a wheelchair for mobility. Susanna managed her high blood pressure with medication and took multivitamins. She officially became blind at the age of 100 but declined cataract surgery and heart pacemaker implantation. She never underwent mammograms or colonoscopies. Several times a year, the elderly patient agreed to check-ups with her primary care physician. Jones never smoked or consumed alcohol. She slept about ten hours at night and enjoyed daytime naps. For breakfast, she always ate four slices of bacon with eggs and porridge. Additionally, she treated herself to bacon throughout the day.

During the last five years of her life, Susanna celebrated her birthdays at the nursing home. On her 112th birthday, she received respectful letters from the Mayor of New York City and the Governor of New York State. After the celebration, Jones said, "I wish it could be like this all the time." On her 113th birthday, she was accompanied by American activist and politician Charles Barron.

Susanna celebrated her 114th birthday six days later. Her family, friends, and Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes praised her resilience. On her 115th birthday, her niece Lois Judge told WABC-TV that "Jones gets tired lately, but she feels good on this special day." It was revealed that her great-great-niece, named after Susanna, attended the celebration.

Jones achieved the status of the oldest living person on the planet and one of the two verified individuals born in the 1800s (alongside Italian woman Emma Morano). She obtained this status after the death of Jeralean Talley on June 17, 2015.

On June 3, 2015, three days before her 116th birthday, Jones entered the Guinness World Records as the oldest living person on Earth.

Susanna passed away peacefully in her sleep on May 12, 2016. The title of the oldest living person was transferred to Emma Morano.