Supercentenarian Profile

Henri Content

Born:

1916-01-04

Vault-de-Lugny, Yonne, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

France

Died:

2026-02-14

Bellerive-sur-Allier, Allier, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

France

✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest

Henri Charles Marie Content was a French supercentenarian who was the nation’s oldest living man.

BIOGRAPHY

Henri Content was born in the commune of Vault-de-Lugny in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, on 4 January 1916. His parents were Émile Marie Content (1886–1944) and Jeanne Louise Clément (1896–1990). He had a younger brother, René Émile (1920–2005).

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, born in 1946, and Annette, born in 1947. He retired in 1972 and remained married to Paulette for 82 years, until her passing in 2021. In retirement, he remained very active, enjoying cycling, hiking, and cross-country skiing.

His wife passed away on 5 July 2021, aged 101. They were married for 81 years and 74 days.

Henri Content passed away in the commune of Bellerive-sur-Allier in the Allier department in central France, on 14 February 2026, at the age of 110 years, 41 days.

RECOGNITION

On 23 January 2026, following the passing of 111-year-old Maurice Le Coutour, he became the Oldest Living Man in France.

His age was verified by Guillaume Legris of Les Grands Centenaires Français, and validated by the European Supercentenarian Organisation on 1 February 2026, and later recognized by LongeviQuest on 11 February 2026.