Henri Content, the oldest living man in France, passed away in Bellerive-sur-Allier, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, on 23 February, at the age of 110 years, 50 days.
Content was born in the commune of Vault-de-Lugny in the Yonne department in north-central France, on 4 January 1916. He attended the teacher training college in Auxerre, where he met his future wife, Paulette, during the end-of-year performance at the girls’ teacher training college in 1936. On 22 April 1940, at 24, he married Paulette Geneviève Baudot (1919–2021) in Cravant, Yonne.
During World War II, he was granted leave to marry, but returned to his duties the following week. At the end of June 1940, he was taken prisoner in Dosnon, in the Vosges Mountains, and spent the next five years in captivity near Karlovy Vary in Czechoslovakia. He was finally released in May 1945 and returned home to continue his career as a schoolteacher—first in Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay, then in Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye. He also taught at the agricultural high school in La Brosse, near Auxerre, initially instructing agricultural sciences and later German. The couple had two children: Jean-Francis and Annette.
On 22nd or 23rd January 2026, following the passing of 111-year-old Maurice Le Coutour, he became the Oldest Living Man in France.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Henri Content during this difficult time
