Thomas Henry Ismay (7 January 1837 – 23 November 1899) was a one time owner the White Star Line. His son Joseph Bruce Ismay was managing director of the White Star Line and survived the maiden voyage of its ocean liner in 1912.
Early years
Thomas Ismay was born on 7 January 1837, in a small cottage in the town of Maryport, Cumberland. 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. 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 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, 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. 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.
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, decided to take a trip to India 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 and Italy along the way. Once they got to Italy they joined the , bound for Alexandria. In Egypt the pair visited the Pyramids and cruised on the Nile.
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.