James Hanlon

James Patrick Hanlon (17 October 1891 - 27 February 2001) was an Irish-American centenarian who was (and still is) the oldest Irish-born man in history when he died.

Biography
James Hanlon was born on 17 October 1891 in Carlingford, County Louth, Ireland. He was the fourth of 9 children born to Peter and Annie O'Hanlon. The 'O' was dropped from his name when he moved to America. In their village, his father Peter operated an inn, a bakery and a livery.

James moved to Massachusetts in 1911, aged 19. He married Florence L. Gillon (1898-1999) on 5 October 1919, shortly before his 28th birthday. They later had a son, Kevin, and a daughter. During World War 2, James worked as the superintendent of the General Electric Turbine Manufacturing plant in Lynn, Massachusetts. He retired from that job in 1957, by which time he had 2,200 people under him.

Florence Hanlon died on 27 December 1999, three weeks before her 102nd birthday. She and James had been married for 80 years, 83 days. James lived in the Annemark Nursing Home in Revere, Massachusetts for the last few years of his life. His secret to living a long life was "keeping life simple, believing in yourself and walking with God."

James Hanlon passed away on 27 February 2001 at the age of 109 years, 133 days. He is still the oldest Irish-born man ever to this day.