Howard Brown Case - Titanic First Class Passenger
Mr Howard Brown Case was a 49 year old first class passenger travelling aboard Titanic from the United Kingdom to the United States. He was the Managing Director of the Vacuum Oil Company, based in London, which was a British subsidiary company of the Vacuum Oil Company, an American company, based in Rochester, New York. He boarded Titanic in Southampton on 10th April 1912, travelling alone.
He was born in Rochester, New York, United States in around 1863. His parents were Charles and Helen Case. He is said to have moved from America to Britain in 1886, where he spent around 5 years before returning to America, before then returning back to Britain to work there.
By the time he sailed aboard Titanic on 10th April 1912:
.He was married to Elizabeth Case, and they had four children, Helen, John, Charles and Honor.
.He was a member of the American Society in London, and was a member of its Executive Committee.
.He was a member of the Freemasons, having been initiated, in London, in 1909, in America Lodge, No 3368.
.For his job as Managing Director of the Vacuum Oil Company, he received an annual salary of around twenty thousand dollars.
.He and his family lived in Ascot, Berkshire.
An article appearing in the New York Times on 20th April 1912, states that Howard Case had helped women into the boats. The account said to have been given by Titanic survivor Edith Graham said that she had asked Howard Case his advice on whether it would be safer to stay on board or go into the boats. He is said to have advised her to get into the boat. As her boat was leaving it is also said in the article that she saw him “calmly light a cigarette and waved [them] good-bye with his hand.”
Howard Case did not survive the sinking of Titanic. His body is not known to have been recovered.
A memorial service to Howard Case was held in London later on in April 1912, attended by the American Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Whitelaw Reid, and other members of the American Embassy.
His name is included on the grave stone of his wife, Elizabeth Case, who died in 1939, at Sherwood Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cockeysville, Maryland, United States. Inscribed on the grave stone is: “Howard Brown Case. Lost in the Titanic. April 15. 1912”.
Related pages - Titanic's First Class Passengers, All Titanic Pages