BIOGRAPHY

Salustiano Sánchez Blázquez was born in El Tejado de Béjar, Castile and León, Spain, on 8 June 1901 (claimed 1902). He attended school until the age of 10.

At the age of 17, he moved to Cuba to work. In August 1920, he moved to the US, where he first worked in the coal mines of Lynch, Kentucky.

In 1934, he married his wife Pearl (1906–1988). The couple had two children, a son named John (born 1940) and a daughter named Irene (born 1944).

Sánchez Blázquez died in Niagara Falls, New York, USA, on 13 September 2013, at the age of 112 (claimed 111) years, 97 days.

RECOGNITION

On 25 July 2012, following the death of 111-year-old Shelby Harris of Illinois, he became the oldest living man in the United States. However, he was not known to the public at the time.

On 11 June 2013 (Eastern Time Zone), following the death of 116-year-old Jiroemon Kimura of Japan, he became the world’s oldest living man, at the age of 112 years, 4 days. However, his age was not officially validated until 25 July 2013. Previously it was believed the title was held by James McCoubrey (born in Canada, died in the USA), followed by Jokichi Ikarashi of Japan (who died just 18 days after McCoubrey) and Arturo Licata of Italy, who however became the world’s oldest living man on 13 September 2013 when Sánchez Blázquez died. His record was recognized by the Guinness World Records.

ATTRIBUTION

GALLERY