Louise Laroche
| Louise Laroche | |
|---|---|
Louise (seated center) and her family,
prior to their voyage on the Titanic |
|
| Born |
2 July 1910 Paris, France |
| Died | 28 January 1998 (aged 87) Paris, France |
| Parent(s) | Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche and Juliette Marie Louise Lafargue |
Louise Laroche (2 July 1910 – 28 January 1998) was one of the last remaining survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. It is believed that she, her sister and her father, Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche, were the only people of black descent aboard.
Louise Laroche was born on July 2, 1910 in Paris, France to Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche and his wife, Juliette Lafargue. She was preceded in birth by a sister Simonne Marie Anne Andrée Laroche in 1909.[1]
Although Louise's father had a degree in engineering and was nephew to the then President of Haiti (Cincinnatus Leconte), his race prevented him from finding steady employment. Given this, he decided to move his family back to his native Haiti. The family planned to leave in late 1912, but Juliette discovered she was pregnant for a third time, and Joseph decided to bump up their travel arrangements so the child could be born in Haiti. The family originally had plans to travel on the France, but the ship's policy stipulated that children were required to remain in the nursery and were not permitted to eat with their parents, a policy that the Laroches did not approve of. They instead transferred their tickets to sail on the Titanic.[2]
Louise and her family boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, France on April 10, 1912 as second-class passengers. Because of Titanic's size, she could not fit in Cherbourg's harbour. White Star Line tenders had to transport passengers out to Titanic, and the Laroche's were transported aboard the SS Nomadic.[3]
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