5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About ‘Titanic Survivor, J. Bruce Ismay

On a day many have come to remember, April 15, 1912, Bruce Ismay, White Star Line's then chairman performed an action many have frowned their noses on for over a century; he made use of the Titanic's last lifeboat, leaving passengers and crew to a deathly fate. This singular act has since become Bruce Ismay's legacy. However, there's more to good ol' Bruce that you probably have no idea about. Let's get into it.

1. Bruce Ismay inherited White Star Line

Ismay got the post of one of the most important transatlantic travel positions thanks to his father, who bought the White Star Line in 1868 in a state of bankruptcy and developed it into the giant it became by the turn of the century. His father died in 1899 and J. Bruce took his post as chairman. He retained this position after White Star was absorbed by J.P. Morgan's holding company in 1902. Two years later, Ismay was designated president of the larger conglomerate.  

2. He and his brother married the Schieffelin sisters

Ismay married into the prestigious Schieffelin family in 1888, taking Florence Schieffelin as his wife. In addition to her charismatic demeanor, Florence was said to have had strikingly beautiful hands. A little over a decade later, Bruce's youngest brother, Bower, tied the knot with Constance, Florence’s younger sister.

3. Ismay wasn't responsible for the Titanic’s reduced lifeboats

The much-repeated story told to depict the villainy and vanity of J. Bruce Ismay is that he ordered the reduction of the Titanic's lifeboats, against the architect's recommendations. This was allegedly done because it supposedly made the deck look overly cluttered. However, there's no evidence to prove this.

Although the ship’s designer, Alexander Carlisle, thought there should have been 48 lifeboats on board (enough for everyone on board), he admitted at the inquiry into the Titanic's sinking that he hadn't spoken to Ismay about his thoughts— Ismay had simply proposed adding davits for extra boats. 

He also asserted that its dining hall should be patterned like his favorite restaurant in London, the Adelphi Theatre Restaurant. That means Ismay didn't order for the number of lifeboats to be reduced to 20 (the number the Titanic sailed with), but he was particular about the ship's attractiveness.

4. He helped women and children board the lifeboats

Though Ismay’s judgment to get on a lifeboat gave him a villainous place in the history of all sinking stories, it may just be that not all of his actions that night were without heroism. Ismay testified, “I assisted, as best I could, getting the boats out and putting the women and children into the boats,” at the U.S. inquiry.

The final British inquiry report noted Ismay’s work in offering aid to several passengers and it didn’t give any judgment on his act of hopping aboard the lifeboat. It was said that if he hadn't jumped, he likely would have just been one extra life lost in the unfortunate event.

5. The final half of Ismay's life after being floored by the press

In the weeks following the Titanic sinking, a fleury of nicknames arose by the flesh. Notable ones include "J. Brute Ismay", "D'Ismay" and "coward". This poor treatment caused great distress for his wife in England who was reported to be in a state of nerves and anxiety. 

Family members and friends revealed that Bruce hardly ever mentioned the sinking in private conversations. His grandson, in 2012, noted that “It absolutely shattered his life”. Becoming a solitary figure in the latter part of his life, Ismay became something of a recluse in County Galway, Ireland, before health complications required his leg to be amputated.

Not long after, He gave up the ghost in London, in 1937. At their homely cottage in County Galway, Francisca Ismay, his wife, had a monument erected with the inscription, “In memory of Bruce Ismay, who spent many happy hours here 1913-1936.