J. Bruce Ismay

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Joseph Bruce Ismay (1912)

Joseph Bruce Ismay ( English : / ˈdʒoʊzᵻf ˈbrʊws ᵻzˈmeɪ / ; * December 12, 1862 in Crosby near Liverpool , † October 17, 1937 in Mayfair near London ) was a British businessman and director of the White Star Line . In this role he played a major role in the planning and construction of the three Atlantic liners of the Olympic class , Olympic , Titanic and Britannic . He took part in the maiden voyage of the Titanic and survived the sinking, unlike most of the passengers and crew, which cost him his public reputation.

Life

Bruce Ismay was the eldest son of Thomas Henry Ismay (1837-1899), the founder of the White Star Line, and his wife Margaret Bruce (1837-1907), the daughter of the shipbuilder Luke Bruce. The parents had married in 1859 and had six daughters and three sons. Bruce Ismay attended Harrow School in London before taking a year of teaching in France . After completing a four-year apprenticeship in his father's office, he traveled the world. In the end he went to New York, where he represented the White Star Line.

On December 4, 1888, he married Julia Florence Schieffelin, who came from a prominent family in New York . They had five children (one of whom died as an infant):

  • Margaret Bruce Ismay (born December 29, 1889 - † May 15, 1967), married George Ronald Cheape (1881–1957) in 1912
  • Henry Bruce Ismay (April 3, 1891 - October 1, 1891)
  • Thomas Bruce Ismay (February 18, 1894 - April 27, 1954), married Jane Margaret Seymour
  • Evelyn Constance Ismay (born July 17, 1897 - † August 9, 1940), married Basil Sanderson (1894–1971) in 1927
  • George Bruce Ismay (born June 6, 1902 - April 30, 1943), married Florence Victoria Edrington in 1926

After having their first two children, Ismay returned to the UK with his family and became a partner in his father's company, Ismay, Imrie and Company . In 1899 his father died and he took over the company. Bruce Ismay had a flair for the business that made the White Star Line flourish. In addition, Ismay served as the director of several other companies. In 1901 he was approached by Americans who wanted to found an international shipping conglomerate. Ismay agreed to merge his company into the International Mercantile Marine Company , under the leadership of JP Morgan . But even after his family had sold the line to the American shipping group, he remained the director of the White Star Line.

In 1907 Ismay met Lord Pirrie from the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast . Together they planned to build a new type of steamer , the Olympic class , which would surpass the RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania of its main competitor, Cunard Line . Ismay's new type of ship was not supposed to be faster, but it was supposed to be easier to navigate, more efficient and far more luxurious than anything that had come before. Three ships were planned: the Olympic , the Titanic and the Britannic . The best known today was the Titanic , which sailed on April 10, 1912 on its maiden voyage from Southampton , England, to New York.

Ismay took part as a passenger on the maiden voyage of the Titanic , which collided with an iceberg on April 14 at 11:40 p.m. and sank on April 15 at 2:20 a.m. Witnesses accused him of putting pressure on Captain Edward John Smith to drive too fast. He left the Titanic in one of the last lifeboats , which was discharged by First Officer William McMaster Murdoch . Since most of the men on board were denied access to the lifeboats, this was later interpreted in public as cowardice.

After his return, Ismay faced severe attacks from the press and the public, and his reputation was irreparably damaged. In 1913 he resigned as President of the International Mercantile Marine Company.

On October 17, 1937, J. Bruce Ismay died of a blood clot in the brain after a long illness . He was buried in Putney Vale Cemetery in London. His widow Florence died on December 31, 1963 in the London borough of Kensington .

Representations in the film

In the 1997 film Titanic , the role of Bruce Ismay was played by actor Jonathan Hyde . He was featured in other Titanic film adaptations by Ernst Fritz Fürbringer ( Titanic , 1943), Frank Lawton ( The Last Night of the Titanic , 1958), Ian Holm ( SOS Titanic , 1979), Roger Rees ( Titanic , 1996), James Wilby ( Titanic , TV series, 2012) and portrayed by Gray O'Brien ( Titanic - Blood and Steel , TV series, 2012).

Web links

Commons : J. Bruce Ismay  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ As last from board , article from June 9, 2005 by Susanne Wiborg on Zeit Online
personal data
SURNAME Ismay, J. Bruce
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ismay, Joseph Bruce (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Director of the White Star Line
DATE OF BIRTH December 12, 1862
PLACE OF BIRTH Crosby (Merseyside)
DATE OF DEATH October 17, 1937
Place of death Mayfair near London