George Francis, 112, oldest man in the US

Lelia LaRue showed her father, George Francis, a copy of a newspaper after Barack Obama won. (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)

SAN FRANCISCO - George Francis, the nation's oldest man, who lived through both world wars, man's first walk on the moon, and the election of the first black president, died Saturday at the age of 112.

Mr. Francis died of congestive heart failure at a nursing home in Sacramento, his son, Anthony, said Sunday.

"He lived four years in the 19th century, 100 years in the 20th century, and eight years in the 21st century. We call him the man of three centuries," said the younger Francis, 81.

UCLA gerontologist Dr. Stephen Coles, who maintains a list of the world's oldest people, said Mr. Francis lived 112 years and 204 days.

With Mr. Francis's death, Walter Breuning of Montana, who is 112 years, 98 days old, becomes the country's oldest living man. At 114, Gertrude Baines of Los Angeles is the nation's oldest living person.

The world's oldest person is Maria de Jesus of Portugal, who is 115 years, 109 days old, and the oldest man is Tomoji Tanabe of Japan, who is 113 years, 101 days, Coles said.

Mr. Francis, who at his prime weighed barely more than 100 pounds, was born June 6, 1896, in New Orleans. As an African-American in the South, he felt the sting of the Jim Crow-era segregation laws in his early life.

His son said Mr. Francis tried to enlist in the Army during World War I but was turned down because of his stature.

"We always attributed his longevity to his mental and physical toughness," his son said.

Mr. Francis quit school after the sixth grade, became an amateur boxer as a young man, and later worked as a chauffeur, an auto mechanic, and a barber.

He and his wife, Josephine, had a son and three daughters. His wife died of cancer in 1964.

Even in his waning days, Mr. Francis never lost his passion for politics, his family said. He voted for Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s and for Barack Obama in 2008.

In an interview after Obama's victory, Mr. Francis, who used a wheelchair, said he felt like jumping up and down.

"He is going to give black men a break in the world, and give them a better opportunity to live and make more money," he said.

"For people who say voting doesn't matter, I think that's crazy," he said.

Anthony Francis said his father was devoted to his family and that he attributed his longevity to them.

"He said, 'My children and my friends, I live off of them,' " he said.

In addition to his children, Mr. Francis leaves 18 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren, and 16 great-great grandchildren.