Elizabeth Francis, Oldest Person in United States, Dead at 115

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HOUSTON — Elizabeth Francis, the oldest person in the United States, has died at the age of 115. She died peacefully at home Tuesday in Houston, according to her 69-year-old granddaughter, Ethel Harrison.

Harrison described Francis as “a person who loved people,” according to ABC News.

“She loved the Lord,” Harrison said. “Her faith was extremely strong. She was always, you know, jolly, you know, ‘how you doing? You’re doing okay?’ That was just her personality.”

According to Harrison, she believes one of the keys to her grandmother’s long life was the healthy dieting practices she followed. This included growing her own vegetables and avoiding fast food.

“Whenever you went to her house, I don’t care what day of the week she was cooking,” Harrison said. “So, I just think that had a lot to do with it, too. Just how she took care of her body and things like that.”

Francis died as the oldest person in the U.S., and the third-oldest person in the world, according the longevity database LongeviQuest.

Born on July 25, 1909, in Louisiana, Francis spent most of her life living in Houston. Up until her death, she was living under the care of Harrison, while also living with her 96-year-old daughter, Dorthy Williams.

Putting Elizabeth Francis’ long life into perspective:

Getting to 115 years means Francis was around for a lot of history, not only localized to Houston or the United States, but the world as a whole. To put that into perspective, here’s a list of events Francis may have experienced or at the very least had been around during her lifetime:

She was born during the same month General Electric patented the electric toaster (July 1909).
She was two when the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank.
She was five when World War I broke out.
She was five during the 50th anniversary marking the end of the U.S. Civil War.
She was five when the Port of Houston opened.
She was eight when the first NHL season began.
She was nine when World War I ended.
She was 10 when the Volstead Act went into effect (U.S. prohibition).
She was 11 when the first NFL season began.
She was 11 when women in the U.S. gained the right to vote (19th Amendment).
She was 13 when King Tutankhamen (King Tut) was found in Egypt.
She was 17 when the Ford Model T ceased production.
She was 20 when the Great Depression started.
She was 22 when Amelia Earhart became the first woman to complete a nonstop solo transatlantic flight.
She was 24 when Prohibition ended.
She was 30 when World War II broke out.
She was 36 when World War II ended.
She was 37 when the first NBA season began.
She was 52 when the Houston Colt .45s (Astros) played their first MLB game.
She was 54 when the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center opened its doors.
She was 54 when The Beatles first came to the U.S.
She was 59 when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon.
She was 76 when the wreck of the Titanic was discovered.
She was 80 during the Fall of the Berlin Wall.
She lived through the 1918-1920 Spanish Flu and 2020-2023 COVID-19 pandemics.
She lived during 13 different decades
She lived through 20 U.S. presidencies; from William Howard Taft to Joe Biden.