~78-79
years old (exact age unknown)
Quick Facts
- Death date: January 5, 1943
- Estimated birth: Around 1864 or 1865
- Approximate age: 78-79 years
- Cause of death: Complications from a fall
- Place of death: Tuskegee, Alabama
Why the Uncertainty?
Carver's exact age at death is uncertain because he was born into slavery, and enslaved people's births were rarely documented. He was born sometime around 1864 on the Moses Carver farm in Missouri, but the specific date was never recorded.
Various sources give his birth year as 1864, 1865, or sometimes 1861, which is why his age at death is usually given as "approximately 78" or "78-79."
His Final Years
In his final years, Carver's health declined. He suffered from anemia and other ailments. In late 1942, he fell down a flight of stairs at his home on the Tuskegee campus. He never fully recovered from this fall and died several weeks later on January 5, 1943.