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Thomas Henry Ismay (7 January 1837 – 23 November 1899) was the founder of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, more commonly known as the
White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between ...
. His son Joseph Bruce Ismay was managing director of the ''White Star Line''; and, in 1912, he sailed on the maiden voyage of the ocean liner .


Early years

Thomas Ismay was born on 7 January 1837, in a small cottage in the town of
Maryport Maryport is a town and civil parish in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England, historically in Cumberland. The town is situated just outside the Lake District National Park, at the northern end of the former Cumberland Coalfield. Location ...
,
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...
. Some time after Thomas's birth, his father Joseph Ismay started a timber business, shipbrokers and shipbuilder. He bought shares in five vessels coming in and out of Maryport. When Thomas was six, the Ismays moved to a much larger house in Grasslot, Maryport. The entire family moved to the dwelling because of the three sisters Thomas's mother had. The home's name was "The Ropery", the name deriving from the ropes being used at the shipyard laid out in front of the home. This house was near his grandfather's shipyard. This was the first place where he was employed. He spent much of his time around the harbour. He learned here about the sea and navigation along with his most notable habit, of chewing tobacco, giving him the nickname "Baccy Ismay". When Thomas was 12 he was sent to High School in Brampton, Cumberland. This school was one of the best in all of
Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angles, Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Scandinavian York, K ...
. On 31 July 1855 his twin sister Charlotte died, aged 18.


South American voyage

To gain some experience with ships, he arranged a trip to Chile on the S.V. ''Charles Jackson''. She departed
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
on 4 January 1856, three days before Ismay's 19th birthday. They arrived on 8 April in Valparaiso, Chile, and stayed there until 30 May. During his stay he indulged in the local culture, visiting theatres, climbing mountains and dancing with the natives. He also noted that "Chilean women are said to be the best formed in the world." After his two-month stay, he took the steamer ''Bogota'' to
Caldera, Chile Caldera is a port city and commune in the Copiapó Province of the Atacama Region in northern Chile. It has a harbor protected by breakwaters, being the port city for the productive mining district centering on Copiapó to which it is connected ...
, and after arriving there transferred to the SS ''Conrad''. However, it being early morning, it was dark and when he jumped to the ship he missed and fell into the dock. Luckily, he remained conscious and grabbed hold of some wood attached to the pier. After coughing up seawater, he made a great deal of splashing to get help, as nobody had noticed him fall. He was eventually heard and rescued by rope; however, he lost his hat, broke his watch and ruined his notebook, cigar case and other things in his bag. At the end of the ten-day voyage, he took a train to Copiapo to meet up again with the ''Charles Jackson''. The weather was horrible at the start, the ship lost some of her sails and split the topmast, and Ismay was badly hurt after a window smashed in and cut his toe. He arrived home in autumn 1856.


Shipping career

At the age of 16, Ismay left school and started an apprentice with shipbrokers Imrie and Tomlinson of
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
. Upon completion of the apprenticeship, he wanted to gain some experience on the high seas. Once he got back to England he started a business. He partnered with Philip Nelson who was also a man from Maryport and a friend of his father. However, the partnership did not last long; Nelson was a retired sea captain and believed in old, trustworthy wooden ships while Ismay believed the future was in iron ships. In 1867 Ismay acquired the flag of the
White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between ...
. Ismay had always held an interest in the Asiatic Steam Navigation Company and wanted to see how it was run, so he and Gustav Wolff, founder of
Harland & Wolff Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...
, decided to take a trip to
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
on board an ASNC steamer. This was partly to see how their rival was managed and partly a family holiday. On 26 October 1887, they left Dawpool and travelled by train across Europe, seeing the sights of France,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
along the way. Once they got to Italy they joined the , bound for
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
. In Egypt the pair visited the
Pyramids A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilate ...
and cruised on the
Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest riv ...
. Around 1870, Ismay drafted a new set of rules and regulations for his brand new trend-setting steamers, , and the . In 1873, SS ''Atlantic'' struck rocks and sank off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, killing at least 535 people. It was the greatest disaster for the White Star Line before the loss of the ''Titanic'' in 1912. From 1863 till 1899, Ismay was president of White Star Line and had several ships under his authority. Most of these ships, until 1870, were chartered; even after 1870 most of White Star Line's vessels were chartered from more notable/wealthy shipping lines, so that the company could not be held completely responsible if someone died on board.


White Star Line vessels

''Ulcoats, Cecelia, Golden Sunset, Gladiator, Duke of Edinburgh, Duleep Singh, Bucton Castle, Globe, Nereus, Borrowdale, Weathersfield, British Prince, Dallam Towers, Remington, Hecuba, Pride Of The Thames, Houghton Towers, Warwickshire, Victoria Tower, Hawarden Castle, Vancouver, Castlehead, Vandieman, Comandre, Seatoller, Casma, Compadre, Bayard, British Admiral, Montrose, Ismay, Estrella, Pembroke Castle, Hausquina, Rajah, SS British Navy, Cairnsmore, Santon, Kirkwood, Delhi, Merwanjee Framjee, Ravenscrag, Cape Clear, Grace Gibson,
Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Pu ...
, Cardigan Castle, Santiago, Jason'', (''Oceanic'' was White Star Line's first true vessel because she was actually ordered by Thomas Ismay)


Personal life

On 7 April 1859, Ismay married Margaret, the daughter of Luke Bruce. In 1867, he acquired the flag and branding of the
White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between ...
. The family lived at Beach Lawn,
Crosby Crosby may refer to: Places ;Canada *Crosby, Ontario, part of the township of Rideau Lakes, Ontario *Crosby, Ontario, a neighbourhood in the city of Markham, Ontario ;England *Crosby, Cumbria *Crosby, Lincolnshire *Crosby, Merseyside ** Crosby (U ...
. During these years he undertook several grand projects including, in July 1882, the building of a private residence in
Thurstaston Thurstaston is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises ...
on the
Wirral Peninsula Wirral (; ), known locally as The Wirral, is a peninsula in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about long and wide and is bounded by the River Dee to the west (forming the boundary with Wales), the River Mersey to ...
, designed by the renowned architect
Richard Norman Shaw Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the ...
. Built of a local red
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...
, the property was completed in December 1884. It was named Dawpool and, when Ismay's widow died in 1907, both of his sons declined to take up residence. When the Ismays tried selling the house, the agent said the land would be worth more if the home was blown up and it was eventually sold to a Mr. Rutter who loaned it to the government as a hospital during World War I. In 1926 it was sold to Sir Henry Roberts who had it demolished a year later.


Death

Shortly after the launching of the ''Oceanic'' on 14 January 1899, Ismay began to complain of pains in his chest. He had been very active throughout his life and was seldom sick, so his doctor took his pains very seriously. His condition slowly deteriorated and construction on ''Oceanic''s sister ships was delayed. In March of that year, Ismay's health began to improve, and he and Margaret went to
Windermere Windermere (sometimes tautologically called Windermere Lake to distinguish it from the nearby town of Windermere) is the largest natural lake in England. More than 11 miles (18 km) in length, and almost 1 mile (1.5 km) at its wides ...
where he became sick again. His wife summoned a doctor and a dose of morphine was given to Ismay. After six days he was feeling better and he returned to Dawpool in Thurstaston. Within six weeks he had more violent pain. The doctor diagnosed it as a
gallstone A gallstone is a stone formed within the gallbladder from precipitated bile components. The term cholelithiasis may refer to the presence of gallstones or to any disease caused by gallstones, and choledocholithiasis refers to the presence of mi ...
. By 26 April, Ismay felt good enough to work, but in August he collapsed and was confined to bed. On 31 August an operation was performed to alleviate his condition. The operation was unsuccessful and a second became necessary on 4 September. The next morning he insisted that his daughters go on a voyage on the ''Oceanic'' whilst he talked to his wife. He asked his wife to arrange for the local church to pray for him. On 14 September Ismay suffered a heart attack. His condition continued to worsen, and, on 23 November 1899, he died at the age of 62. His wife never fully recovered, and she died seven years later. He and his wife are commemorated with a large chest tomb at
St Bartholomew's Church, Thurstaston St Bartholomew's Church is in the village of Thurstaston, Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester, and the deanery of Wirral North. The church is recorded in the ...
, inscribed: "Great thoughts, great feelings came to him like instincts unawares" and "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." Ismay had been one of the patrons of the church, built in 1883–86 by
J. L. Pearson John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency ...
.


References

* https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/ismayfamily/thismay.htm&date=2009-10-26+00:35:40 The Ismay Family. White Star Line. Thomas Henry Ismay. The man and his background. * Gardiner, Robin, ''History of the White Star Line'', Ian Allan Publishing 2002. * Oldham, Wilton J. ''The Ismay Line: The White Star Line, and the Ismay family story'', The Journal of Commerce, Liverpool, 1961 * "Ismay, Thomas Henry." ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (1901). Reproduced a
Encyclopedia Titanica
* "Thomas Henry Ismay Dead." ''The New York Times'', 24 November 1899. Reproduced a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ismay, Thomas Henry 1837 births 1899 deaths People from Maryport British businesspeople in shipping White Star Line Businesspeople from Liverpool 19th-century English businesspeople