BIOGRAPHY

CP Crawford was born in Jackson, Mississippi, USA, on 25 August 1907, to John and Mattie Crawford. His mother died when he was an infant and he only knew her from stories told by his family. Named after a traveling Southern preacher, CP was his actual name, not his initials. He was the youngest of six siblings, which included three brothers and two sisters, who were separated after their mother died and were raised by aunts and uncles.

After working at Southland Oil Refinery, Crawford went on to work at Illinois Central Railroad which brought him to Chicago. He was married three times and had six foster children, but never had any biological children.

Prior to moving to an assisted living facility in September 2011, Crawford had been living alone.

Crawford died in Lansing, Illinois, USA, on 23 November 2019, at the age of 112 years, 90 days. Coincidentally, his death occurred on the same day as the USA’s oldest living woman, Alelia Murphy.

RECOGNITION

Crawford became the oldest living African-American man following the death of Richard Overton on 27 December 2018.

After the death of Henry Tseng on 27 February 2019, Crawford became the oldest known living man in the United States and the last known surviving man in the USA born in 1907.

ATTRIBUTION

GALLERY