Antonio Pierro, 110; was believed to be oldest man in the United States
Antonio Pierro, 110, who was believed to be the oldest man in the United States, died Thursday at a nursing home in Salem, Mass., his nephew said. He would have turned 111 later this month. Robert Young, a gerontology consultant for Guinness World Records, said Pierro was the oldest U.S. man in its records.
He also was one of the last remaining World War I veterans. Only seven others are known to be alive, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Born in 1896 in Italy, Pierro immigrated to the United States in 1914. Three years later, he was drafted into the Army and served for 18 months as an artilleryman in France.
When he returned to Massachusetts, he managed a body shop and spent 17 years at a General Electric plant. He retired in 1961.
From a family with longevity -- both parents lived into their early 90s -- Pierro smoked until he was 60. He liked red meat and freely salted his food, the Boston Globe reported last year.
Until six weeks ago, he shared a home with his only living brother, Nicholas, 97, and a nephew.
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