LongeviQuest is pleased to confirm that Vincent Dransfield is now the United States’s oldest known living American-born man. He is also currently the oldest known living man in the state of New Jersey, and the ninth oldest known living man in the world (behind John Tinniswood, Josino Levino Ferreira, Alfonso María Rojas Perdomo, John Farringdon, Ken Weeks, Hilario Orozco Lemus, Tomisaburō Wakui, and Primo Olivieri).
Vincent Dransfield was born Vincent Delisio in Paterson, New Jersey, United States, on 28 March 1914. His parents divorced when he was six, and he later legally changed his surname to his mother’s maiden name in 1935. Forced to leave school after eighth grade due to his family’s financial hardship after his parents’ divorce, Dransfield, at just 15, took on a job at a dairy farm. For the next five years, he delivered milk, a habit that would continue throughout his life. He credited this daily consumption of milk, in part, to his remarkable longevity.
Dransfield’s life has been marked by dedication and service. He married in 1938 and had a daughter. A year later, he joined the Singac Volunteer Fire Company, where his wife also worked. He even braved a near-knockoff-the-roof experience during his first fire. His commitment led him to become the Fire Chief of Little Falls in 1959. He would later become the Civil Defense Control Director in 1972.
Vincent Dransfield (Source: Singac Fire Company #3)
At 109 years old, Dransfield made headlines as the oldest active driver and firefighter in the U.S. His remarkable health and self-sufficiency, including driving his car and walking unassisted, sparked discussion online about his lifelong habit of drinking Ovaltine. He continues this routine at 110. He lives independently in his longtime home and runs errands. Remarkably healthy, he rarely takes medication, with occasional knee pain being his only reported issue.
For more information, please view Mr. Dransfield’s Directory Profile here.
