The Life of the Titanic Owner (Joseph Bruce Ismay)

J. Bruce Ismay, in full Joseph Bruce Ismay, (born December 12, 1862, Crosby, near Liverpool, England—died October 17, 1937, London), British businessman who was chairman of the White Star Line and who survived the sinking of the company’s ship Titanic in 1912.

Ismay was the eldest son of Thomas Henry Ismay, who owned the White Star Line, which operated a fleet of passenger ships. After his father’s death in 1899, he became chairman of the company. 

Under his direction, White Star became known for its luxury liners. In 1902 he oversaw the company’s acquisition by John Pierpont Morgan’s International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM). 

As part of the deal, Ismay continued as chairman of White Star, and in 1904 he also became president of IMM. In 1907 Ismay attended a dinner with William James Pirrie—who controlled the Belfast shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff, which constructed all of White Star’s vessels—and the two men reportedly devised a plan to build a class of large luxury ships to compete with the Cunard Line for the highly profitable transatlantic passenger trade. 

The Olympic was the first to be completed (1911), and it was an immediate success. The Titanic followed in 1912.

In April 1912 Ismay was aboard the Titanic during its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City. On April 14 the Titanic struck an iceberg and was fatally damaged. Despite an order that only women and children were allowed in the lifeboats—of which there were only enough for about half of those on the ship—Ismay boarded the collapsible lifeboat C. He later claimed that no women and children were in the area, but eyewitnesses subsequently challenged that assertion. His reputation further suffered for his actions on the rescue ship Carpathia. 

Upon boarding the vessel, Ismay sequestered himself in a private cabin, refusing to leave until the Carpathia docked in New York. During the ensuing investigations, Ismay faced lengthy questioning, and he denied reports that he had encouraged Capt. Edward J. Smith to increase the ship’s speed—despite iceberg warnings—in order to garner positive press coverage by arriving in New York earlier than scheduled. Nevertheless, Ismay was publicly branded a coward and was largely shunned. In 1913 he retired from IMM and the White Star Line.