Andrew Frank Hatch (October 7, 1898 – January 18, 2016) was the oldest person in Oakland at age 117, and one of the oldest in the world. His story is hella interesting.
Hatch was born in Louisiana and grew up in Texas. He escaped an attempted lynching in the 1920s and fled to Mexico, where he learned Spanish. He came to Oakland in the 1930s. 1
In Oakland, he drove a taxi for many years in a collective organized by Esther Mabry (of Esther's Orbit Room). In his later years, he lived at the San Pablo Hotel senior housing, and is featured on the mural on the side of the hotel, and described in the dedication mural.
San Pablo Hotel Mural Storytelling Event from EBALDC on Vimeo.
He died on MLK Day in 2016 at age 117. 2
Links and References
- Tale of survival: Oakland man celebrates 116th birthday Oakland Tribune October 8, 2014
- Oakland’s Andrew Hatch, likely the world’s oldest man, dies at 117 Bay Area News Group January 19, 2016
