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Jeralean Talley, World's Oldest Person, Celebrates Her 116th Birthday

Jeralean Talley, the world's oldest living person, celebrated the big 1-1-6 on Saturday in Inkster, Michigan.
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Jeralean Talley, the world's oldest living person, celebrated the big 1-1-6 on Saturday in Inkster, Michigan.

Born in 1899, Talley has lived through the turn of two centuries and 20 different presidents. The most recent of those presidents sent Talley a special birthday greeting, according to the Detroit Free Press.

"The breadth of your experiences and depth of your wisdom reflect the long path our Nation has traveled since 1899," President Barack Obama wrote in a letter to Talley. "During this time, there have been setbacks and breakthroughs, false starts and improbable victories, and through it all our country's spirit has endured — strengthened and enriched by each generation."

Image: Jeralean Talley, the world's oldest-known living person, looks at the candles on her cake while family and friends sing
Jeralean Talley (L), the world's oldest-known living person, looks at the candles on her cake while family and friends sing 'Happy Birthday' during her 116th birthday celebration at a restaurant in Inkster, Michigan May 23, 2015.Rebecca Cook / Reuters

Talley was born in Georgia on May 23, 1899, one of 12 children. She moved to Michigan in 1935 with her husband, Alfred Talley, who died in 1988 at the age of 95.

The great-great grandmother inherited the title of world's oldest-known living person in April after the previous record-holder, Gertrude Weaver, died at the age of 116 in Arkansas.

IN-DEPTH:

— Jillian Sederholm