John Carroll: A history of the world's tallest people

It’s not clear when exactly the title of world’s tallest man passed from the aging Väinö Myllyrinne to the young and still growing John Carroll, but it was likely some time in the late 1950s.

Carroll grew to 8 ft 7.75 in (263 cm), but the curvature of his spine made him appear smaller. This modest, soft-spoken man from Buffalo, New York, USA, held the title until his death in 1969. During his lifetime, few knew of the connection between the likeable local politician “Big Red” Carroll and the medical case study “J.C., The Buffalo Giant”.

Early life

John Francis Carroll, known to his friends as "Jack" or "Big Red" (for his shock of red curly hair), was born on 15 June 1932. His parents, John J. Carroll and Johanna Evans Carroll, were both born in Ireland but emigrated to the USA and settled in Buffalo, New York, shortly before John was born.

John was the second of three children, with an older brother, Michael (who died in childhood), and a younger sister, Mary. Neither of his parents were exceptionally tall, but both had examples of extremely tall people in their family histories. This included at least one ancestor on both his mother's and father's side that was said to have exceeded 7 ft (213 cm) in height.

John’s birth weight was normal, and his parents saw nothing unusual in his infant development. As his childhood progressed, however, he grew noticeably taller than his classmates, reaching 5 ft 6 in (167.6 cm) by the age of 12.

Given his family history, however, this didn't necessarily stand out as medically worrying. At 16, John was a muscular and well-coordinated 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) and the star of his high-school basketball team.

Unchecked growth

John’s health took a concerning turn shortly after his 16th birthday, however, when instead of beginning to slow down, his growth rate increased. By 17, he was 6 ft 9 in (205 cm) tall, and by 20 his height had passed 7 ft (213.4 cm). His growth continued in his early 20s, now accompanied by increasing scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and a decline in muscle mass.

At this time, his continuing growth did not seem to cause John any particular distress, nor did it disrupt his day-to-day life. "Big Red" was a well-known and extremely well-liked figure in Buffalo who was actively involved with various social, church and civic organizations. He worked as a clerk at a local business, and drove his own car (from the backseat).

The only time that he seems to have withdrawn from his busy social life was a period in his early 20s when the devoutly religious young man left Buffalo to study to be a Franciscan monk at St Bonaventure Apostolate on Long Island.

An illustration of John Carroll

He first came to the attention of medical professionals in 1954, when he was in his early 20s and around 7 ft 6 in (228 cm) tall – and even then it was not because of health issues related to his height, but because he was injured while working on his car.

This incident also illustrates that while his strength had been declining, he was still an extremely powerful man, capable of lifting his large 1950s car off his own leg after a jack collapsed. His badly broken bones kept him in hospital for two months, but doctors concluded he was otherwise healthy.

Political career

In the second half of the 1950s, John became increasingly active in local politics. He was initially involved in campaigns to improve local parks, and projects related to the safeguarding of children. At the time, Buffalo was an industrial town dotted with abandoned canals, storage ponds and culverts that presented a serious risk to children. John was the chairman of a group that campaigned to have these hazards – particularly those located near schools and playgrounds – fenced off or filled in.

In 1957, he ran for election as a city alderman, losing by only a few votes despite running his campaign almost entirely from a hospital bed (John had broken his hip in a fall). After the election was concluded, his victorious rival paid a visit to John in hospital and organized a charity gala to raise money for his medical costs, which speaks to how well-liked he was in town.

Medical treatment

Another fall in the autumn of 1959 saw John readmitted to the Mercy Hospital in Buffalo with a broken ankle. In an important stroke of luck, the on-call doctor that night was a young intern called Joseph Prezio, who had specialized in endocrinology at medical school. Prezio immediately recognized the signs of acromegalic gigantism, and over the next month – while John was recovering from his injuries – Prezio made a detailed study of John's condition.

Dr Prezio measured John on 14 October 1959, reporting a standing height of 8 ft (243.8 cm). He calculated that if steps were taken to remedy John's scoliosis then his height would have likely increased to around 8 ft 7.75 in (263 cm). In addition to making the first detailed medical assessment of John's condition, Dr Prezio also arranged for John to receive radiotherapy treatment for his overactive pituitary gland, finally arresting his uncontrolled growth.

In the early 1960s, John got a job at the City of Buffalo Parks Department, where he was superintendent of Isle View Park, located on the left bank of the Niagara River, not far from the falls. Here he settled into a life as a well-liked local administrator, running the park and coordinating various regattas and boat races that took place on the river and in Lake Erie. Dr Prezio, who remained John's friend and primary physician, believed his standing height only increased slightly after his treatment, increasing by around a quarter-inch to 8 ft 0.25 in (244.4 cm) over the course of the 1960s.

Death and legacy

John died on 8 August 1969, at the age of just 37. His cause of death was kidney failure, which was related to a degenerative condition caused by his gigantism.

Tributes and obituaries were published in the local papers, all of which celebrated "Big Red" the kindly civil servant and community leader. His status as the world's tallest man doesn't come up once, and his extraordinary height gets only a brief passing mention.