| Thomas Pope | |
| Birth: | 22 January 1835 Oswestry, England, UK |
| Death: | 17 February 1943 Liverpool, England, UK |
| Age: | 108 years, 26 days |
| Country: |  UK
|
| Centenarian | |
Thomas Pope (22 January 1835 – 17 February 1943) was a British centenarian who was the oldest known living person in the United Kingdom at the time of his death.
Biography[]
Thomas Pope was born in Oswestry, Shropshire, on 22 January 1835. He attended Oswestry School, which he left in 1849 to work as a wine and spirit merchant and distiller in Liverpool. He was awarded Freedom of the City of Liverpool, and was a member of both the Liverpool Athenaeum and the Merchants' Guild.
Pope retired in 1905, aged 70, but paid regular visits to both his former employer and school. He remained President of the Old Oswestrians Association past his 104th birthday.
Pope was the oldest living person in the United Kingdom from 2 October 1940 (following the death of 108-year-old Mary Davey of Brighton) until his own death nearly two and a half years later. It is currently unknown when he became the oldest man in the country. He also became the oldest man (and person) in Europe on 14 December 1940 (after the death of 108-year-old Francesco Cubadda of Italy).
On his 107th birthday, Pope was reported to be in good health and able to read without glasses. He died on 17 February 1943 at the age of 108 years, 26 days. At the time of his death, he was the oldest British man ever (surpassing the age of William Walker the year before).
Pope never married, and left £233,747 in his will (equivalent to £10.74m in 2019 [1]). His successor as the oldest man and person in the United Kingdom and Europe was John Francklow (1835–1944), who surpassed Pope's age only four months later.
References[]
- LIVERPOOL CENTENARIAN The Canberra Times, 24 January 1942
- Reprint of obituary, originally published on 24 February 1943
- Value of estate, Liverpool Daily Post, 6 May 1943