Donald A. Koehler (September 1, 1925 – February 26, 1981) is one of 24 known people in medical history to reach a height of or more. He was generally recognized as the tallest living man in the world from at least 1969 until his death in 1981. At one time, Koehler stood tall, a result of the medical condition

gigantism Gigantism ( el, γίγας, ''gígas'', "giant", plural γίγαντες, ''gígantes''), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. In humans, this condition is caused by ove ...

. He was born in Denton,

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, United States. Koehler and his twin sister were born to parents of taller than average height. Their mother was ; their father was . He started an abnormal period of growth when he was 10 years old. The

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

confirmed Koehler at a standing height of tall at his peak. His twin sister was for a record difference of between the twins as recognized by Guinness. As a youth, he lived with his family on the north side of Chicago, attending

Amundsen High School Roald Amundsen High School is a public 4–year high school located between the Ravenswood, Andersonville and Lincoln Square neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1929, Amundsen is a part of Chicago Public Schools district ...

. Koehler's wore shoes that were size 22, but he once stated that his most bothersome clothing problem was finding socks that fit him. He was later able to find a hosiery company in Pennsylvania that began custom-making socks for him.

Employment

For 25 years Koehler worked as a salesman for the Big Joe Manufacturing Company, retiring three years before his death. He considered his size to be an advantage, for potential customers would often want to meet with him out of curiosity, and they always remembered him.

Later life and death

Later in life, he suffered from the medical condition

kyphosis Kyphosis is an abnormally excessive convex curvature of the spine as it occurs in the thoracic and sacral regions. Abnormal inward concave ''lordotic'' curving of the cervical and lumbar regions of the spine is called lordosis. It can result fr ...

, resulting in (often severe) curvature of the spine. Koehler died in 1981 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

from a reported heart condition, by which time he was estimated to be about tall. He was 55 years old. Per Koehler's wishes, his body was cremated, and his ashes scattered on a lake in Wisconsin where he liked to fish.Don Koehler, world’s tallest man, ''The Herald-News'' (Passaic, NJ), February 27, 1981, page 29

References

External links

The Tallest Man: Don Koehler
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koehler, Donald 1925 births 1981 deaths People with gigantism People from Fergus County, Montana People from Chicago