# How old is the oldest left-hander you know? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 19, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396 "2012-05-19T04:59:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/21 "2012-05-20T06:18:46Z")
Came back to mention that Mom (84 and still ticking), Dad (died at 67), and one of my two sisters (54) are lefties. Of interest to no one but me. . ---
**Author:** ![DearestDane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@DearestDane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DearestDane)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/22 "2012-05-20T06:39:32Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Ringo’s even older, and he’s a lefty too. Meaning it’s the left half of The Beatles that is still alive? ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/23 "2012-05-20T07:10:19Z")
My Dad died last year at 60. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/24 "2012-05-20T12:00:53Z")
Well, the only leftie I can think of was my Dad, and he died at the age of 68. For whatever that’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/25 "2012-05-20T12:04:22Z")
> [@DearestDane](#): > > Meaning it’s the left half of The Beatles that is still alive? Why, yes…it is the _sinister_ element of the Beatles that remains. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/26 "2012-05-20T12:06:54Z")
My wife’s grandmother is a lefty and will turn 90 this September. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/27 "2012-05-20T13:51:44Z")
The only people whose handedness I KNOW are in my immediate family (or, obviously, people I play softball with) so I might have met many old lef-handed people but I’d never know it. So technically, the answer is my mother, who is 65 and in excellent health. Barring an accident she’ll reach 90, I predict. Longetivity is a trait shared by all her female relatives; her mother, who had more health problems, is still going at 91. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/28 "2012-05-20T13:55:46Z")
Dad’s 67. George H.W. Bush seems to be doing pretty well. He’s 87. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![cuberdon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@cuberdon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuberdon)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/29 "2012-05-20T14:16:05Z")
Mom and stepmom who are both approaching 70. Very sore subject for stepmother – one of her older relatives was forced to be a righty and if you bring it up you’ll hear a pretty heartfelt rant. Mother I’ve never heard of her being “right-ified”, but she told me a story about the first day of school. Teacher said, everyone turn their paper this way, she said I’m left handed, should I turn it the other way, teacher stopped a minute and thought then said, yes. Which is why Mom writes with a straight arm rather than wrist twisted around as though she has palsy as some lefties do. I suppose they’re used to it but man, that looks uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/30 "2012-05-20T14:25:05Z")
My maternal grandfather is dead, but he live to be 93. He dropped out of eighth grade because he refused to write with his right hand, as he was required to do. ---
**Author:** ![DearestDane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@DearestDane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DearestDane)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/31 "2012-05-20T14:52:56Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Why, yes…it is the _sinister_ element of the Beatles that remains. Neat catch.😃 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/32 "2012-05-20T17:01:48Z")
My mother – 82 today. ---
**Author:** ![BACI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@BACI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BACI)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/33 "2012-05-20T20:46:05Z")
OP here. This is interesting - notwithstanding the issue of “forced rightness”, very few 90 or over. Had the question been home many right handed people over 90 do you know I expect the numbers would be much higher. But clearly the policy of forcing lefties to be otherwise in times past does skew the numbers. Reliable data difficult to come by. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/34 "2012-05-20T21:00:20Z")
My grandma’s lefty and she’s an active 93. Goes to writing class and seniors yoga, paints and draws and does the NYT sunday crossword! Go grandma! ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/35 "2012-05-20T23:21:22Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > I believe my grandmother (92) is naturally left-handed, but was trained in school to use her right. It may be that you simply don’t find older people who are left-handed for this reason - at that time, left-handedness was thought of as about on par with being bowlegged, so they were ‘normalized’. I was thinking this, too. My mom was born in the 40s, and her left hand was tied behind her back at school and church in order to discourage her from using ‘the devil’s hand’. Assholes. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/36 "2012-05-20T23:34:21Z")
The oldest lefty I know is my aunt at 69(a few months off yet from 70) but George H. W. Bush(the older one) is left-handed and nearly 88. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/37 "2012-05-21T00:26:11Z")
My old man, a leftie, lived to 96. (Unless I’ve missed something, this appears to be the record for this thread so far.) ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/38 "2012-05-21T01:38:11Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > My Dad died last year at 60. Although, he was a drinker and a smoker (but no longer a toker). ---
**Author:** ![jeturgeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@jeturgeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeturgeon)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/39 "2012-05-21T02:19:23Z")
My grandfather was a lefty that passed away 3 years ago at 88, although not sure if it counts, due to the fact that he was a righty until he lost his right hand in an accident at work. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/40 "2012-05-22T04:00:35Z")
> [@BACI](#): > > This is interesting…very few 90 or over. Had the question been home many right handed people over 90 do you know I expect the numbers would be much higher. But clearly the policy of forcing lefties to be otherwise in times past does skew the numbers. Reliable data difficult to come by. And perhaps the numbers are skewed because people tend to assume someone is right-handed unless it’s clearly demonstrated otherwise. Of all the 90±year-olds you have met, how many do you know with absolute certainty to be right-handed rather than left-handed? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396.md?page=3)