BIOGRAPHY

Thomas was born in Payré, Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, on 19 November 1911. After his father died in combat during the beginning of World War I, his mother worked at the Rochefort Arsenal. At the age of 12, he moved with his mother to Saintes, in Charente-Maritime.

In the early 1930s, Thomas became a technical assistant for bridges and roads in Saintes. He would continue in this field for around 40 years, later being promoted to the title of director of technical services, before retiring in 1972. In the early 2000s, after over 8 decades of living in Saintes, he chose to return to his hometown of Rochefort. His wife died in 2013, following 75 years of marriage.

Thomas continued to live in his own home until the middle of April 2024, when health problems led to him being hospitalized. After being discharged from the hospital, he was moved into a nursing home.

Thomas passed away on 1 June 2024 in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, aged 112 years, 195 days.

RECOGNITION

Mentions of Thomas’ age were made on social media in his later years, although his date of birth and name were only made publicly known after his death. He is the oldest validated man ever from France, having surpassed the final age of Martiniquais supercentenarian Jules Théobald by just 24 days.

On 2 April 2024, following the death of 114-year-old Juan Vicente Pérez Mora of Venezuela, Thomas became the oldest validated man in the world, holding the title for two months until his death, after which, the title was passed to 111-year-old Englishman John Tinniswood, who was originally believed to have held the title. However, Chinese supercentenarian Shi Ping, whose age is under review by LongeviQuest, may have been older than Thomas and also outlived him.

Thomas’ age was verified by Jimmy Lindberg and validated by LongeviQuest on 3 July 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

• “Avis de décès de Monsieur Georges THOMAS” – Pompes Funèbres Publiques à Saintes, 1 June 2024
• “Supercentenaires : la vie et la mort discrète du Français le plus âgé de tous les temps… en Charente-Maritime” – Sud Ouest, 9 July 2024

GALLERY