Jack Thayer
Encyclopedia
John Borland "Jack" Thayer III (December 24, 1894 – September 20, 1945) was from Philadelphia. He was a first-class passenger on the RMS Titanic who provided several first-hand accounts of the disaster.
and his mother, Marian. Jack occupied cabin C-70 while his parents occupied C-68.
Shortly after 11:30 p.m. on 14 April 1912, Jack noticed that he could no longer feel a breeze streaming through his half-open porthole. He did not recall feeling the ship's collision with the iceberg. He dressed and went to A deck on the port side to see what had happened. Finding nothing, he walked to the bow, where he could faintly make out ice on the forward well deck.
Jack woke his parents, who accompanied him back to the port side of the ship. Noticing that the Titanic was developing a list to port, they returned to their rooms and put on warmer clothes and life vests. They returned to the deck, but Jack lost sight of his parents and after searching for them, assumed they had boarded a lifeboat.
Jack soon encountered Milton Long, a fellow passenger he had met hours before over coffee. Both Milton and Jack tried to board a lifeboat
but were denied because they were men. Jack then proposed to jump off the ship, as he was a good swimmer. However, Milton was not and advised Jack against it.
Eventually, as the ship was sinking quickly, the two men decided to jump and attempt to swim to safety. Milton went first; it was the last time Jack ever saw him. Once in the water, Jack reached an improperly launched and overturned collapsible lifeboat, on which he and a number of other men were able to balance for some hours. He later recalled that the cries of hundreds of people in the water reminded him of the high-pitched hum of locusts in his native Pennsylvania
.
After spending the night on the overturned collapsible, Jack was picked up by Lifeboat 12. He was so distraught and freezing that he did not notice his mother in nearby Lifeboat 4, nor did she notice him. Lifeboat 12 finally made its way to the rescue ship RMS Carpathia
at 8:30 a.m. Sadly, Jack's father did not board a lifeboat and died in the sinking.
. He married Lois Cassatt, daughter of Edward B. Cassatt
and Emily L. Phillips. Her grandfather was Alexander Cassatt
, President of the Pennsylvania Railroad
. The couple had two sons, Edward and John IV. In 1940 he described his experiences with the Titanic sinking in vivid detail in a self-published pamphlet. Oceanographer
Robert Ballard
used it to determine the location of the Titanic and proved that the ship had split in half as it sank, contrary to popular belief..
During World War II
, both of Jack's children enlisted in the armed services. Edward was killed in 1945 in the Pacific theatre
. When the news reached Thayer, he became extremely depressed and committed suicide
on September 20, 1945. He had shot himself in the head and was found in an automobile at 48th and Parkside Ave. He is buried at the Church of the Redeemer Cemetery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
. Thayer was the financial vice president of the University of Pennsylvania
at the time of his death.
RMS Titanic
17 years old at the time, Jack Thayer boarded the Titanic along with his father John Borland ThayerJohn Thayer (cricketer)
John Borland Thayer, Jr. was a first-class cricketer and later a Pennsylvania Railroad vice president, who died shortly before his 50th birthday in the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912...
and his mother, Marian. Jack occupied cabin C-70 while his parents occupied C-68.
Shortly after 11:30 p.m. on 14 April 1912, Jack noticed that he could no longer feel a breeze streaming through his half-open porthole. He did not recall feeling the ship's collision with the iceberg. He dressed and went to A deck on the port side to see what had happened. Finding nothing, he walked to the bow, where he could faintly make out ice on the forward well deck.
Jack woke his parents, who accompanied him back to the port side of the ship. Noticing that the Titanic was developing a list to port, they returned to their rooms and put on warmer clothes and life vests. They returned to the deck, but Jack lost sight of his parents and after searching for them, assumed they had boarded a lifeboat.
Jack soon encountered Milton Long, a fellow passenger he had met hours before over coffee. Both Milton and Jack tried to board a lifeboat
Lifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
but were denied because they were men. Jack then proposed to jump off the ship, as he was a good swimmer. However, Milton was not and advised Jack against it.
Eventually, as the ship was sinking quickly, the two men decided to jump and attempt to swim to safety. Milton went first; it was the last time Jack ever saw him. Once in the water, Jack reached an improperly launched and overturned collapsible lifeboat, on which he and a number of other men were able to balance for some hours. He later recalled that the cries of hundreds of people in the water reminded him of the high-pitched hum of locusts in his native Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
After spending the night on the overturned collapsible, Jack was picked up by Lifeboat 12. He was so distraught and freezing that he did not notice his mother in nearby Lifeboat 4, nor did she notice him. Lifeboat 12 finally made its way to the rescue ship RMS Carpathia
RMS Carpathia
RMS Carpathia was a Cunard Line transatlantic passenger steamship built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson. Carpathia made her maiden voyage in 1903 and became famous for rescuing the survivors of after the latter ship hit an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912...
at 8:30 a.m. Sadly, Jack's father did not board a lifeboat and died in the sinking.
After the sinking
After the sinking, Thayer went on to graduate from the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. He married Lois Cassatt, daughter of Edward B. Cassatt
Edward B. Cassatt
Colonel Edward Buchanan Cassatt was an American soldier and an owner/breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. He was the son of Alexander Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and his wife, Lois Buchanan, a niece of James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States.Cassatt studied at...
and Emily L. Phillips. Her grandfather was Alexander Cassatt
Alexander Cassatt
Alexander Johnston Cassatt was the 7th president of the Pennsylvania Railroad , serving from June 9, 1899 to December 28, 1906. Frequently referred to as A. J. Cassatt, the great accomplishment under his stewardship was the planning and construction of tunnels under the Hudson River to finally...
, President of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. The couple had two sons, Edward and John IV. In 1940 he described his experiences with the Titanic sinking in vivid detail in a self-published pamphlet. Oceanographer
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
Robert Ballard
Robert Ballard
Robert Duane Ballard is a former United States Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology. He is most famous for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship Bismarck in 1989,...
used it to determine the location of the Titanic and proved that the ship had split in half as it sank, contrary to popular belief..
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, both of Jack's children enlisted in the armed services. Edward was killed in 1945 in the Pacific theatre
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
. When the news reached Thayer, he became extremely depressed and committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on September 20, 1945. He had shot himself in the head and was found in an automobile at 48th and Parkside Ave. He is buried at the Church of the Redeemer Cemetery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr from Welsh for "big hill") is a census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue and the border with Delaware County...
. Thayer was the financial vice president of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
at the time of his death.
Further reading
- Titanic: A Survivor's Story and the Sinking of the S.S. Titanic by Archibald Gracie IV and Jack Thayer, Academy Chicago Publishers, 1988 ISBN 0-89733-452-3
- Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy, by John P. Eaton and Charles A. Haas, W.W. Newton & Company, 2nd edition 1995 ISBN 0-393-03697-9
- A Night to Remember, by Walter Lord, ed. Nathaniel Hilbreck, Owl Books, rep. 2004, ISBN 0-8050-7764-2