114-year-old believed to be world's oldest person
Besse Cooper, who at 114 years and five months old, sits in her room at a nursing home Tuesday. (Feb. 1, 2011) Credit: AP
A Georgia woman born when Grover Cleveland was president is now believed to be the oldest person in the world.
When asked about her new title Tuesday, Besse Cooper, who is 114 years and 5 months old, said it’s "rather great." The Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group certifies supercentenarians — people who are 110 or older. It says Cooper
became the oldest person after the death Monday morning of Eunice G. Sanborn of Jacksonville, Texas.
Cooper was born in Sullivan County, Tenn., on Aug. 26, 1896, and moved to Georgia to be a schoolteacher during World War I.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cooper gave this recipe for her longevity when she turned 113: She minds her own business and doesn’t eat junk food.