Mr Jacques Heath Futrelle

He attended public schools in Pike County but was also schooled by his father (a teacher in an Atlanta College) in basic academics and French.

Futrelle began his career at the age of 18 when he took a job with the Atlanta Journal. The following year he went to work for the Boston Post but would soon after return to the Journal. Here he set up the magazine's first sports department.

He married Lily May Peel on 17 July 1895 in her parent's home. They would later have two children, John and Virginia.

Jacque's moved to the New York Herald. Soon after this, he began writing detective stories. In 1902, Jacques accepted the position of manager of a small repertory theater in Richmond, Virginia, where he wrote and acted in several plays. After a two year stint with the theater, he then took a job on the editorial staff of the Boston American. Around this period he began a series of stories around 'The Thinking Machine' - a detective character he created who would eventually appear in over forty stories - and had several of his stories printed in the "American". It has been suggested that his detective was an inspiration for Agatha Christie. Not being the only one in the family with a flair for writing, his wife, May, also authored several novels and magazine articles.

Jacques became a well known and respected novelist by the early 20th century - his best known works being: "The Thinking Machine", "The Thinking Machine On The Case", "The Diamond Master" and "The High Hand". Around this time he bought a house in Scituate, razed it and built a 'Cape Cod' for his wife and family.

In 1912 the couple travelled in Europe for several weeks while Jacques wrote a number of magazine articles. On the night before sailing, friends had gathered in London to celebrate Mr Futrelle's 37th birthday. The party did not end until 3:00 A.M. and the Futrelle's never went to bed but packed and headed for Southampton. Mrs Futrelle was later to lament that "if my husband had got drunk that night, he might not have sailed, and he might be alive today. But he never did drink much."

Travelling as first class passengergers they were possibly accomodated in cabin C-123 (ticket number 113803, £53, 2s)

After the collision with the iceberg, Jacques got his wife into lifeboat (Collapsible) D. May pleaded with him to get in the boat but he resisted, saying he would come later on in another lifeboat. May remembered the last she saw of him, he was smoking a cigarette with John J. Astor. Jacque's last work, "My Lady's Garter", was published posthumously later in 1912. May inscribed in the book, "To the heroes of the Titanic, I dedicate this my husband's book" under a photo of her late husband.

Related Articles and Documents

		PORTRAIT OF JACQUES FUTRELLE
		JACQUES FUTRELLE'S "THE DIAMOND MASTER" ON PROJECT GUTENBERG
		JACQUES FUTRELLE'S "ELUSIVE ISABEL" ON PROJECT GUTENBERG
	New York Times  (1912)	JACQUES FUTRELLE, WRITER
	New York Times  (1912)	BOSTON MAN MISSING
	Worcester Telegram  (1912)	REPORT FUTRELLE SAFE
	Washington Herald  (1912)	PREMONITION CAME TO NOTED NOVELIST
	Washington Times  (1912)	WASHINGTON MAN TELLS HARROWING DETAILS OF WRECK
	Washington Times  (1912)	MEN SNEAKED INTO BOATS, SAYS WOMAN
	Worcester Telegram  (1912)	FUTRELLE MET DEATH LIKE HERO SAYS WIFE
	The Times  (1912)	OTHER STATEMENTS BY SURVIVORS
	The Nation  (1912)	STEAD AND FUTRELLE
	New York Times  (1912)	STRAUS MEMORIAL MEETING
	New York Times  (1912)	FUTRELLE'S MOTHER IS DEAD
	Chicago Tribune  (1912)	AUTHOR'S DEATH KILLS MOTHER