The "Boston Post" Cane was an award given by many New England towns to their oldest citizen. It was originally done in 1909, when the newspaper was owned by Edwin A. Grozier. The newspaper had several hundred ornate, gold-tipped canes made, and then given presented in a ceremony to each town's oldest living man. The custom was expanded to include a community's oldest women in 1930. Many towns in New England still carry on the "Boston Post" cane tradition with the original canes they were awarded in 1909. When a recipient dies (or leaves the community), the cane passes to a successor who is the town's next oldest living resident.