At 113, Goldie Michelsen is Now Oldest Person in the Country

WORCESTER, MA—The New York City stock exchange opened. The Boston Americans (who would become the Red Sox) played the first ever World Series game. It was 1903, and Bob Hope was born. So was Goldie Michelson.

At 113, that makes Michelson, who lives in Worcester, the oldest living person in the United States.

Michelsen earned the distinction when Susannah Mushatt Jones died on May 13. Mushatt, of New York, was the oldest living person in the world, reports CBS News.

Michelsen's father, a doctor, immigrated to Worcester from Russia, and sent for his wife and children when Michelsen was 2, according to the Jerusalem Post. She earned a sociology degree in 1924 from Pembroke College, which is now part of Brown University.

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In addition to the being the oldest living person in the U.S., MIchelsen likely holds the distinction of being the world's oldest Jew, the Post reports.

Michelsen, who graduated with a master's in 1936 from Clark University, told the college's magazine the secret to her longevity when during an interview in 2012.

"Walking," she said. "I was a great walker — four or five miles every morning, weather permitting. I never used a car if I could walk. One of the great joys of life was when I sold my car."

Photo: Michelsen by the theater marquee at Clark that bears her name. Credit: Clark University