Archibald Gracie

Born in 1858, Archibald Gracie IV was an American writer, amateur historian, and member of a prominent New York family. He is remembered above all for surviving the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912 after escaping onto the overturned Collapsible B lifeboat.

Gracie later wrote The Truth about the Titanic, a detailed eyewitness account that has remained one of the most important personal narratives of the disaster. His writing is especially valued for its careful attention to events and to the people around him during the final hours of the ship.

He died in December 1912, only months after the sinking, with many accounts noting that his health had declined after the ordeal. Today, he is remembered both for his own remarkable survival and for preserving a firsthand record of one of history’s most famous maritime tragedies.