Carl Mattsson was born in Stenkyrka, Västra Götaland, Sweden, on 9 March 1908, to parents Rutger Mattsson (1877–1943) and Agda Elisabet Berntsdotter (1877–1961). He grew up in a family of five, with three brothers and one sister. He was the second-born. The family’s farm, Gåseknöda, had both cows and horses, but they later moved to Djupedal on the island of Hisingen. His parents made a living selling eggs, potatoes, vegetables, flowers, and cauliflower. During World War I, his father was called up to serve.
As a young man, Carl worked as a salesman for Singer sewing machines, earning recognition as the company’s top salesman. He later pursued a carpentry course in Vänersborg and excelled in his studies. After two years, the principal told him there was no reason for him to stay, as he had already mastered everything the course had to offer.
In World War II, Carl was on standby for eight months. As a cavalryman, he was stationed on the Norwegian border. Although he was a carpenter by trade, his duties also included caring for the horses.
Mattsson married Sonja Juleida Margareta Behrendt (1907–1990) on 12 November 1932, but the marriage ended in divorce on 7 November 1955. However, the marriage resulted in the birth of a daughter, Berit Irene (8 March 1939 – 23 March 1984). At one point, Berit dropped out of high school and later met a man with whom she traveled to America. When she returned, she was on her own.
For a time, Carl worked as a cabinetmaker at the Götaverken shipbuilding company, crafting interiors for the ocean liner Gripsholm and office furniture for the FACIT group in Åtvidaberg. His skills and dedication earned him a promotion to special designer.
In the mid-1960s, he moved to Strömstad and married his wife, Birgit, whom he had met in Gothenburg while she was working as an assistant at Sahlgrenska Hospital. Carl worked as a foreman in Skee for ten years before retiring in 1973.
For many years, golf was his hobby. At 100, he was still playing on the course in Strömstad, and at 90, he took a golf trip to Thailand.
At 108, Carl recalled a near-death experience from his youth in an interview with Året Runt. He was riding a motorcycle when his younger cousin asked to join him. The cousin leaned the wrong way around a curve, causing Carl to lose control. The motorcycle overturned, and they both slid down a grassy slope. The cousin suffered facial injuries, while Carl injured his leg. In the same interview, Carl jokingly said, “Am I really the oldest living man in Sweden? Get a limousine, and we’ll go on tour. Maybe you can make some money by showing me off!”
At 110, he stated that there is no secret to reaching such an age and still being healthy—it’s all about genetics. “I have had a good family that has been healthy and lived to a ripe old age,” he said. He also added that he never overate, advising people to stop eating when they could still eat a little more.
Carl Mattsson passed away in Strömstad, Västra Götaland, Sweden, on 24 July 2019, at the age of 111 years, 137 days.
Mattsson resided in a retirement home in Strömstad, near the Norwegian border. Coincidentally, Albert Andersson (1907–2015), the second-oldest living man in Sweden at the time, also lived in the same facility. At 104, Mattsson even recognized the rare occurrence of sharing a home with someone four months his senior.
Following the passing of 108-year-old Tore Eriksson (5 March 1908 – 27 March 2016), he became the oldest living man in Sweden, at the age of 108 years, 18 days. Four months later, following the passing of 109-year-old Carl Falck (27 May 1907 – 23 July 2016) of Norway, he became the oldest living man in the entire Nordic region.
Following the passing of 111-year-old Alice Östlund on 28 March 2018, he became the oldest living person in both Sweden and the Nordic region, at the age of 110 years, 19 days.
On 16 July 2019, at the age of 111 years, 129 days, Mattsson surpassed the Swedish male longevity record previously held by Anders Engberg since 2002. He passed away eight days later.
Upon his passing, the titles were passed on as follows: Karla Lindholm Jensen (1908–2020) of Denmark became the oldest living person in the Nordic region, Flarid Lagerlund (1910–2022) became the oldest living person in Sweden, Hjalmar Gregersen (1911–2019) of Norway became the oldest living man in the Nordic region, and Ernst Blixt (1913–2019) became the oldest living man in Sweden.
Mattsson’s age was validated by the ESO on 23 January 2020.
* Carl Artur Mattsson – Find A Grave
* “Carl Mattsson – nu äldst i Sverige” – Stromstads Tidning, 17 May 2016
* “Carl, 108, är Sveriges äldsta nu levande man” – Året Runt, 18 August 2016
* “Sveriges äldste man fyller år: “Spännande”” – Expressen, 6 March 2017
* “Sveriges äldsta man fyller 110 år – Carl Mattsson i Strömstad” – Sveriges Radio, 7 March 2018