| Sarah Knauss | |
 Sarah Knauss at the age of 115. | |
| Birth: | 24 September 1880 Hollywood, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Death: | 30 December 1999 Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Age: | 119 years, 97 days |
| Country: |  USA
|
| Validated | |
Sarah DeRemer Knauss (née Clark; 24 September 1880 – 30 December 1999) was a validated American supercentenarian who was the oldest person in the world from the death of Marie-Louise Meilleur on 16 April 1998 until her own death on 30 December 1999 at the age of 119 years, 97 days. She is the second-oldest validated person in history, behind only Jeanne Calment, who was over 3 years older than her. She is the oldest person ever to receive the title of oldest living person, having attained the record aged 117 years, 204 days at the time of Marie-Louise Meilleur's death.
Biography
Sarah DeRemer Clark was born in Hollywood, Pennsylvania, USA, a "mining patch" community that no longer exists, at a time when the now-famous Hollywood, California did not yet exist. She lived much of her life in Allentown, where she brought up her daughter Kathryn Sullivan (1903–2005).
There was also a history of longevity in her family: her paternal grandmother lived to be 98 and her cousin Minnie Kresge (1893–1999) lived to be 105. In addition, her daughter Kathryn Sullivan lived to the age of 101.
Knauss's longevity first came to light after the death of Jeanne Calment in 1997, when she and Marie-Louise Meilleur were first authenticated (previously, Mary Bidwell (1881–1996) had been believed to be the oldest American).
Knauss died rather abruptly sitting in her chair on the afternoon of 30 December 1999, survived by five generations of descendants. She died 33 hours before the year 2000. Some of her organs were bequeathed to the New England Centenarian Study, which did an autopsy.
Longevity Records
Knauss was the seventh validated person to reach the age of 115, the fourth to reach 116, the third to reach 117, the second to reach 118 and 119, and is still the most recent to reach 119.
Gallery
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References
- Sarah Knauss, 119 Photo Gallery, Gerontology Research Group
- Morning Call, October 9, 1986
- Morning Call, October 1, 1987
- Morning Call, September 29, 1988
- Morning Call, September 26, 1991
- Morning Call, September 30, 1993
- Morning Call, September 25, 1994
- Morning Call, September 24, 1995
- Morning Call, September 22, 1996
- Morning Call, September 25, 1997
- Morning Call, April 18, 1998
- Morning Call, September 25, 1999
- Morning Call, January 1, 2000
