Besse Cooper: World's Oldest Person Dies at 116

Besse Cooper was an American supercentenarian. Born Besse Berry on August 26, 1896, in Sullivan County, Tennessee, she graduated from East Tennessee State Normal School in 1916.

She taught school in Tennessee and in Between, Georgia, until 1929. She married Luther Cooper in 1924 and had four children. She became the world's oldest living person on June 21, 2011.

She credited her long life to minding her own business. A bridge in Between, Georgia, was named for her. Cooper died of respiratory failure in Monroe, Georgia, on December 4, 2012, at age 116.

Achievements: World's oldest living person (2011-2012).

Birth: August 26, 1896 - Sullivan County, Tennessee.

Profession: Teacher.

Interesting Facts: She was a suffragist who voted for years after women got the vote.