Archibald Gracie

Born in Mobile, Alabama, in 1858, Archibald Gracie IV was an American writer, soldier, amateur historian, and real-estate investor. He came from the prominent Gracie family and is often remembered both for his military interests and for his careful, document-minded approach to history.

Gracie became widely known after surviving the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912. During the disaster he helped women and children into lifeboats, was swept into the freezing Atlantic when the ship went under, and survived by reaching an overturned collapsible boat.

Afterward, he wrote The Truth about the Titanic, a detailed survivor account that helped shape public memory of the tragedy. He never fully recovered from the effects of the sinking and died in December 1912, only months after the disaster.