Encyclopedia Titanica

Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche

Second Class Passenger

Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche
Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche

Mr Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche was born in Cap Haitien, Haiti on 26 May 1886, the son of Pierre Jean Baptiste Raoul Auguste (1855–1908) and Anne Euzélie Laroche (1862–1952).

In 1901, at age 15, he left Haiti and travelled to Beauvais, France, where he hoped to join a high school to study engineering.

While visiting nearby Villejuif Joseph met Miss Juliette Lafargue; After Joseph graduated and got his degree, he and Juliette were married on 18 March 1908.

Their daughter Simonne was born 19 February 1909; a second daughter, Louise, was born prematurely on 2 July 1910, and suffered many subsequent medical problems.

Racial discrimination prevented Joseph Laroche from obtaining a high-paying job in France. Since the family needed more money to cope with Louise's medical bills, Joseph decided to return to Haiti to find a better-paying engineering job, the move being planned for 1913.  In 1911 his mother's brother-in-law (Cincinnatus Leconte, the husband of her sister Reine-Joséphine Laroche) had become president of Haiti after a coup.  It has been speculated that Leconte had promised Joseph a job if he moved back to Haiti.

In March 1912, however, Juliette discovered that she was pregnant again, so she and Joseph decided to leave for Haiti before her pregnancy became too far advanced for travel. Joseph's mother in Haiti bought them steamship tickets on the La France as a welcome present, but the line's strict policy regarding children caused them to transfer their booking to the Titanic's second class. On April 10 the Laroche family took the train from Paris to Cherbourg in order to board the brand new liner later that evening.

Joseph - who is thought to have been the only black male passenger on the Titanic - died in the sinking but his family were saved, in which lifeboat is not certain (possibly 10).

Research Articles

Pregnant Titanic passengers and posthumous fathers...

Newspaper Articles

Le Matin (3 May 1912) Une Rescapée Du Titanic

Images

Souvenir card
Front picture of a memorial card in memory of Joseph Laroche

Documents and Certificates

Contract Ticket List, White Star Line 1912, National Archives, New York; NRAN-21-SDNYCIVCAS-55[279]).
(1912) Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Passengers and Seamen at Sea, National Archives, London; BT334/52 & 334/53

Letters and Diaries

Bibliography

Judith Geller (1998) Titanic: Women and Children First, Haynes, ISBN 0393046664

In the Titanic Store

President Leconte of haiti

Comment and discuss

  1. steven p greiner

    steven p greiner

    Oh, and Adam, I think the idea was to catalog and document the current condition of the wreck in a more precise, hi-tech way before it is too late, and also compare it with current data to calculate rate of deterioration.
  2. Adam Went

    Adam Went

    Steven: Ah righteo, thanks for that. Yes, it'll be interesting to see what the ocean has to serve up on April 15, 2012. If it's rough, it'll be scary - if it's calm, a-la a century earlier, it'll be eerie!
  3. Michael H. Standart

    Michael H. Standart

    >>Well I suppose Bob is getting on for 70 years old now and might want to wind the roster down a bit as well...
  4. Adam Went

    Adam Went

    Michael: Well, 70 by the time the centenary comes around anyway!
  5. Linda Walker

    Linda Walker

    Click on: Black Titanic Passenger Has Chicago Kinship - Local News - Chicago, IL - msnbc.com Click on: Corey @ I'll Keep You Posted: Titanic Proportions: The Laroche Family Tragedy Click on :Print Haiti-born Nashville Actor Max Desir Takes Historic Approach to Role in TITANIC THE MUSICAL - Printer-Friendly () Click on: ' Titanic: The Untold Story' to tell tale of disaster' s only victim of African-descent
  6. MarlieStyles

    MarlieStyles

    Hello to all.. my name is Marjorie Alberts (yes, u can Google me!!) I'm actually working on writing a novel, based on my ancestor Joseph LaRoche. But am looking to produce a documentary of my life events that lead me to uncovering this history I written a script and registered with the writers guild of America. So please reach out via, Facebook/Instagram/Twitter MarlieStyles Thanks and u all are so awesome, I hope to make most all satisfied with what I intend on delivering.
  7. Charlene

    Charlene

    I've always wondered what would happen to this family if Titanic never sunk. Cincinnatus Leconte, Joseph's uncle, was killed in August 1912! How would they react? What would the first days be like in a country so different from France? I'm also interested in the story of his country, how a biracial family would experience the events that occurred there? I wonder if there were similar families in Haiti at that time
  8. Cam Houseman

    Cam Houseman

    I think Mrs. Laroche befriended Edith Rosenbaum, on the Carpathia. But, her coat, with the few memories or valuables Joesph Laroche was able to give her.
  9. M.A.S.

    M.A.S.

    "Second class passenger, Joseph Laroche, a Black Haitian engineer who was leaving France with his family because racism was preventing him from getting a good job there. Laroche died in the wreck, but his wife and two daughters were rescued in a lifeboat." I read this in a book (pg. 25-26 in History Smashers: The Titanic by Kate Messner). Then I found him on here too: I learned his family's names on here. He and Juliette's daughters are named Simonne and Louise, plus precious cargo: an unborn child on the way. :) The baby would be named after his father: Joseph (according to Wikipedia: Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche - Wikipedia). There's a nice family photo on Wikipedia, which is the same one in the book. His wife has a page on here too: ). I know that many, many men were denied lifeboats, but to be honest I wish they had saved the one Black... Read full post
  10. Seumas

    Seumas

    There is no evidence of that at all. He just wasn't lucky I'm afraid.
  11. M.A.S.

    M.A.S.

    Poor Joseph. R.I.P.
  12. Matt Casey

    Matt Casey

    I was just thinking today about the experiences of Joseph Laroche. As most of us know, he was the only black passenger aboard the ship and was in 2nd Class and perished in the sinking. It being the 1910s, racial attitudes were a lot different then? Would he have encountered racism on the ship from other passengers and possibly crew? How did other passengers feel about an interracial couple aboard?
  13. Arun Vajpey

    Arun Vajpey

    You might find this thread which has some recent posts interesting. The Mods might merge your post with the main thread about the Laroche family.
  14. Mark Baber

    Mark Baber

    Good prediction, Arun. :-)
  15. Jude

    Jude

    I've searched to see whether this has already been covered here, but haven't found anything, so here it is: Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche. Born into a prosperous and powerful family in Cap-Haitien, Haiti on May 26, 1886, Joseph was the nephew of Haitian president Dessalines Cincinnatus Leconte.

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Titanic Passenger Summary

Name: Mr Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche
Age: 25 years 10 months and 20 days (Male)
Nationality: Haitian
Last Residence: in Paris, France
Occupation: Engineer
Embarked: Cherbourg on Wednesday 10th April 1912
Ticket No. 2123, £41 11s 7d
Destination: Cap Haitien, Haiti
Died in the Titanic disaster (15th April 1912)
Body Not Identified

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