Editor 's note : This story originally appeared on CNN.com on October 20 . Barack Obama mentioned Ann Nixon Cooper on Tuesday in his presidential victory speech . Ann Nixon Cooper , 106 years old , lived during a time when blacks and women did not have the right to vote . ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- Ann Nixon Cooper , 106 years old , has seen presidents come and go in her lifetime and has outlived most of them . On a sunny fall morning , she left her weathered but well-kept Tudor home in Atlanta , Georgia , to vote early -- this time for Barack Obama . The African-American centenarian remembers a time not long ago when she was barred from voting because of her race . Now she hopes to see the day that Obama is elected as the nation 's first black president . `` I ai n't got time to die , '' Cooper said with a smile . `` Even if he did n't win , I was happy for him just to be nominated , '' said the former socialite . `` The first black president -- is n't that something , at 106 years old ? '' Watch Obama say 'Yes we can ' » . At the Fulton County government center , Cooper was greeted by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin . `` I thought that I would accompany her today to support her , but also to say to all people that this is a choice we have , '' Franklin said . `` As all Americans , we should cherish the right to vote and take every opportunity we have to vote our opinions . She is an inspiration to me personally , but she is also quite an inspiration to all Atlanta . '' Watch Cooper talk about her life and experiences » . Cooper , in a wheelchair and helped by two caretakers , bypassed the long lines of early voters and headed right to the voting machine . Her 106-year-old hands reached out to the 21st-century touch screen to cast her vote for Obama . Back at her home , surrounded by the elegance of a bygone era , Cooper clutched the photo albums laid out on her dining room table . The longtime socialite and community leader has called Atlanta home since the 1920s . See images of Cooper 's day » . She and her late husband , prominent dentist Dr. Albert Cooper , raised four children in this house . `` Our days and nights were just social affairs , '' she said . The home was a center of Atlanta 's black society and the scene of many parties . Celebrities , including the late singer Nat King Cole , dropped in to visit . `` It 's been a house with a heap of living going on in it , '' said Cooper . She wears a charm bracelet that former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young gave her when she turned 99 . `` He adds a charm every year , '' said friend and caretaker Sally Warner . `` Andy says he will have to apply for a loan soon to keep up with Mrs . Cooper . '' Cooper danced the electric slide up until the age of 103 . She has recently slowed down after suffering several heart attacks and a fractured hip . On a typical day , Cooper spends hours watching television in her wood-paneled sitting room . `` Her favorite show is 'The Price is Right , ' although she is getting used to Drew Carey as the new host , '' said Warner . Other favorite shows include `` Oprah '' and `` Dancing with the Stars . '' When the weather is nice , Cooper spends afternoons on her screened porch , watching traffic go by and reminiscing about old times . Occasionally she leaves the house for an outing . Cooper was born in Shelbyville , Tennessee , in 1902 . She grew up in Nashville with uncles and an aunt who worked as a domestic for wealthy whites . She married Albert Cooper in Nashville in 1922 , and the couple moved to Atlanta . Three of Cooper 's four children have died ; her surviving daughter is 83 . She has 14 grandchildren living and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren . When asked about the secret to her longevity , Cooper said , `` I do n't know how it happened , but being cheerful had a lot to do with it . I 've always been a happy person , a giggling person -- a wide-mouthed person ! '' To young people , Cooper offers this advice : `` Keep smiling . No matter what , you get out and vote . Vote your choice . ''
106-year - old voted for Barack Obama ; ` ` Is n't that something ? '' she asks . Ann Cooper remembers an era when previously , blacks were not allowed to vote . Centenarian was socialite , a leader in Chicago 's black society . Mother 's advice to younger generation : Be cheerful , get out and vote .