Born: January 27, 1850 (Staffordshire, UK)
Died: April 15, 1912 (Atlantic Ocean)

Famous For/Known For:
Captain of the Titanic

A Little About Edward Smith:
Born to the son of a potter, Edward Smith and Catherine Smith.

In 1869, Smith began his oceangoing career.He became a apprentice with A. Gibson & Co in Liverpool, a sailing firm, and began serving aboard the clipper ship, the Senator Weber then in 1871 he earned a certification for second mate and two years later went up in rank to became first mate.

In 1875, he passed his Masters Certificate and a year later he was commanding his first vessel, the Lizzie Fennel. Five years later Smith went to work for White Star Line.

In 1904, the White Star Line added to its fleet one of the largest vessels at that time, the Baltic, with Smith as its Captain. The next ship, the Adriatic was even larger.

In 1912, Smith was captain of the Titanic, a colossal and luxurious ship.

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic set out on her journey across the ocean.

Morning of April 14, 1912, the Titanic received the first warning about ice in its path from another ship, the Caronia. Another message was sent in the early afternoon, this time from the Baltic. A ice warning was also sent from a nearby ship, the Californian, to another ship in which members of the Titanic crew reportedly heard but once again the message was ignored. Around 11:40 pm, a crew member saw an iceberg in the path of the Titanic, but it was too late to move the ship out of harms way. The Titanic scraped against the iceberg, producing several holes in the side of the ship leading to water rushing in.

When Smith learned that the ship was sinking he ordered the crew to prepare the lifeboats. When it was found that there was not enough lifeboats for all the passengers, Smith did the best he could to manage the situation. Smith was last seen heading toward the bridge. His body was never recovered.

The Titanic sunk into the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912. Of the over 2,200 passengers aboard, around 700 of them lived.

In 1914, Kathleen Scott sculptured a statue of Captain Smith in Lichfield, England. It was unveiled by his daughter, Helen Smith.

Edward Smith died by drowning at the age of 62.

Books About/Written By Edward Smith:

Titanic Captain: The Life of Edward John Smith

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Reference:
https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/edward-john-smith.html