Besse Berry Cooper (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Brown; August 26, 1896 – December 4, 2012) was an American

supercentenarian A supercentenarian, sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian, is a person who is 110 or older. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of significant age-related diseases until short ...

who was the world's oldest living person from June 21, 2011 until her death in 2012.

Early life, education and career

Cooper was born Besse Berry Brown in

Sullivan County, Tennessee Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee on its northeast border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,163. Its county seat is Blountville. Sullivan County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol TN-VA Metro ...

, on August 26, 1896, the third of eight children born to Richard Brown (1861–1932) and Angeline Berry (1866–1927). As a child, she did well in school and was an avid reader. She graduated from East Tennessee State Normal School (now

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...

) in 1916. It was during this period she became a

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

, and was a teacher in Tennessee before moving to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

in 1917. She taught in

Between, Georgia Between is a town in Walton County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 402. History The first permanent settlement at Between was made in the 1850s. Between was incorporated in 1908 by an act of the Geor ...

, until 1929.

Later life

She married Luther Cooper in 1924, and had four children with him. Luther died aged 68 in December 1963. Following her husband's death, Cooper lived alone on their farm until 2001, when she moved into a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

at the age of 105. She spent her final years in

Monroe, Georgia Monroe is a city and the county seat of Walton County, Georgia, Walton County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It is located both one hour east of Atlanta via U.S. Route 78 in Georgia, US 78 and Georgia State Route 138, GA 138 to I ...

. Cooper died of

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a r ...

on December 4, 2012, after contracting

stomach flu Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea, is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of energy, and dehydration may al ...

Longevity

Cooper became Georgia's oldest resident on January 19, 2009, following the death of 113-year-old Beatrice Farve. She was thought to be the world's oldest living person after the death of Eunice Sanborn on January 31, 2011 until May 18, 2011, when Brazil's Maria Gomes Valentim was verified as older. On June 21, 2011, Maria Gomes Valentim died, and Cooper became the world's oldest living person. Cooper reportedly attributed her longevity to "minding her own business" and avoiding

junk food "Junk food" is a term used to describe food that is high in calorie#Nutrition, calories from macronutrients such as sugar and fat, and often also high in sodium, making it hyperpalatable, and low in dietary fiber, Protein (nutrient), protein, or m ...

. At the time of her 116th birthday in August 2012, Cooper had four children, 11 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. In July 2012, a proposal was advanced to name a Georgia bridge in Cooper's honor; a bridge in

, was named Besse Brown Cooper Bridge on August 24, 2012. In October 2013, Cooper's grandson Paul Cooper founded the Besse Brown Cooper Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to "providing financial, legal, medical and public relations support" for supercentenarians worldwide.

References

External links

Besse Brown Cooper Foundation
, a nonprofit support organisation for supercentenarians founded by Cooper's grandson {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Besse 1896 births 2012 deaths East Tennessee State University alumni People from Sullivan County, Tennessee People from Walton County, Georgia American supercentenarians Women supercentenarians People from Monroe, Georgia People from Kingsport, Tennessee

Early life, education and career

Later life

Longevity

See also

References

External links