Henry Polichetti

	United States' Oldest Living Man Titleholders (V • E)
	James Smith • James Hard • William Kiney • Wayland Newell • Daniel Cummings • Teofil Chudzinski • Robert Early • Sylvester Melvin • William Smith • James King • Ollie Stewart • John Chaney • William Lamb • Theophilus May • Orin Akers • Isaac Edwards • James Holt • Charlie Nelson • Charlie Phillips • Zachariah Blackistone • James Nash • Walter Wilcox • Gregory Pandazes • Benjamin Garner • Randolph Davis • Joe Thomas • Alphaeus Philemon Cole • Alton Gilbert • Oscar Dubois • James Wiggins • Frederick Frazier • Christian Mortensen • Walter Richardson • Edward Graves • John Painter • John McMorran • Fred Hale • Earl Brush • Moses Hardy • Thomas Nelson • Antonio Pierro • George Francis • Walter Breuning • Shelby Harris • Salustiano Sanchez • Ernest Peronneau • Alexander Imich • Conrad Johnson • James Richardson • Wash Wesley • Felix Simoneaux • Frank Levingston • Clarence Matthews • Richard Overton • Henry Tseng • CP Crawford • Irving Piken • Lawrence Brooks • Ezra Hill • Francis Zouein • Morrie Markoff • Vincent Dransfield • Eugene Baltes • Edwin George Martin

	Henry Polichetti
	; Polichetti on his 107th birthday in 2022
Birth:	3 July 1915; Rhode Island, USA
Age:	109 years, 197 days
Country:	USA
	Centenarian

Henry Polichetti (born 3 July 1915) is an American centenarian who is currently the second-oldest known living man in the United States, behind Edwin George Martin, as well as the oldest known living American WW2 veteran, the oldest known living man in the US state of Rhode Island, and the oldest known man ever from the US state of Rhode Island.

Biography[]

Henry Polichetti was born in Rhode Island, USA on 3 July 1915 to Italian immigrant parents. He had 4 siblings. He always had a fascination with the radio. The first radio his family purchased had earphones resulting in Henry and his siblings often fighting over who could listen. Later on his brother traded the radio in for one that had a speaker which Henry said "eliminated the problem" He attended night school where he took a course on radio repairing and received his FCC radio license.

At the time, he worked at Sears as a hardware clerk. Henry attended basic training at the Newport Naval Training Station and was assigned to the Naval Radio Operators School in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania, as an instructor. In December 1943, he was transferred to the Direction Finder School in Casco Bay, Maine which was a top secret school. Henry Taught people how to use LORAN as well as radio detection finders. Radio men were trained on the newly developed H/F cathrode ray direction finder which located U-boats by intercepting their sighting and position reports.

While Henry went on ships to adjust equipment and would go out on exercises to see how they operated he referred to himself as "the sailor who never went to sea". According to an officer the reason being was due to him being a amazing instructor. He was transferred to another teaching assignment at the Loran School at the Pacific Fleet Training Center at Pearl Harbor when Germany surrendered in 1945 and anti-submarine warfare operations ended in the Atlantic when Japan surrendered Henry went back home to Rhode island.

After Returning, he married his girlfriend Eleanor who he had met at the age of 16 through his sister. They moved to Cranston in 1946 where Henry still lives today. They went on to have two daughters Eleanor and Barbara and one granddaughter Nicole. After his career in the Navy, Henry went on to work as the personal director at Trifari Jewelry in East Providence. His work included making a custom necklace for Mamie Eisenhower which she wore at the presidential inaugural ball and is currently on display at the Smithsonian. His wife Eleanor passed away in 2009.

At the age of 107 he could still walk with almost no assistance from a cane or a walker and spent a lot of time on his laptop or on the porch reading a book. His daughter Eleanor and her husband had recently moved in with him. When he couldn't buy any, he was given free tickets to the 2023 Amry-Navy College Football game where he met with then 98 year old army veteran Rodger Desjardines despite the teams rivalry they were respectful to each other due to their shared connection as WW2 veterans.

On 19 June 2024 Henry was visited by the Mayor of Cranston Kenneth Hopkins. Henry was also recognized as the oldest living WW2 Veteran in Rhode Island. At the age of nearly 109 Henry still reads the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal every day, loves to talk politics and is visited by his great-grandson Thomas Henry. He cited good living and moderation as his reasons for longevity. At the Age of 109 Polichetti Received a Citation and a letter Congratulating Polichetti on being the oldest living Veteran in Rhode Island.

On September 6 2024 Polichett was among the Guests of honor for the 75th Anniversary gala of the Cranston Historical Society. Polichetti was awarded with a Special citation for his contributions to the Cranston Community and was also Made an Honorary Brigadier general was still able to walk with the help of a cane and was Mentally Alert.

On Election day 2024 Polichetti voted which makes him one of the oldest voters in the 2024 Election.

Henry Polichetti currently lives in Cranston, Rhode Island at the age of 109 years, 197 days.

Longevity Records[]

He became the oldest known living man in the US state of Rhode Island when Louis Collmati died on 11 March 2022 and the oldest known living person in the state when Barbara Barton died on 12 August 2022.

He surpassed the age of Zenon St. Laurent on 3 March 2024, becoming the oldest known man ever from the US state of Rhode Island.