North Dakota insurance head towers over political world

Those at the helm of the Guinness Book of World Records have verified the title of world’s tallest politician belongs to 6-foot-10 North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread, the Bismarck Tribune reported Tuesday.

"He decided to break this record to bring awareness to the position of Insurance Commissioner, and to show that being different is fun," Guinness World Records stated on its website.

Mr. Godfread stepped forward to contest the title held since January by 6-foot-10 New York City Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr., whose height Mr. Godfread surpassed 210.76 centimeters to 209.6 centimeters.

He announced his formal application to Guinness in mid-October while launching a 2020 bid for a second four-year term, according to the newspaper.

“This was a fun opportunity to bring some good news back to North Dakota, and of course, it’s an honor to be recognized as a world record holder,” Mr. Godfread said in a statement Tuesday.