J. Bruce Ismay was managing director and chairman of the White Star Line, the company that built the Titanic. When the ship struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage, Ismay, who was on board, jumped into one of the last lifeboats to leave. He subsequently became, according to a headline, ‘The Most Talked of Man in All the World’. These are some of the things that were said about him: ‘Mr Ismay’s place as a man and as the responsible director of the White Star Line was on the planks of the imperilled ship. He esteemed his life higher than honour and duty, and as long as this life, which he was so anxious to save, lasts he will bear on his forehead the mark of Cain, the mark of the contempt of all men of honour’ – Frankfurter Zeitung ‘Mr Ismay cares for nobody but himself. He cares only for his own body, for his own stomach, for his own pride and profit’ – New York American ‘The humblest emigrant in steerage had more moral right to a seat in the lifeboat than you’ – John Bull ‘By the supreme artistry of Chance . . . it fell to the lot of that tragic and unhappy gentleman, Mr Bruce Ismay, to be aboard and to be caught by the urgent vacancy in the boat and the snare of the moment’ – H. G. Wells, Daily Mail ‘You will hunt poor Ismay from court to court, as if he were the only man that was saved’ – G. K. Chesterton, Illustrated London News ‘I have always felt that he was the most misunderstood and misjudged character of the early part of the century’ – Wilton Oldham, The Ismay Line ‘The parallel with the tale of Conrad’s Lord Jim will occur to most of us’ – New York Tribune
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