Julián Padrón Manent
Julián Padrón Manent (b. Olérdola, Barcelona Province, May 26, 1885 - Havana, Cuba, October 6, 1968) was a professional driver, known for being one of the ten Spanish passengers who boarded the famous transatlantic RMS Titanic on April 1912 and managed to survive the sinking.
He was born in Catalonia, in Olérdola, a town in the Province of Barcelona, on May 26, 1885. His parents were Catalan, named Andrés Padrón and Gertrudis Manent. Julián Padrón Manent worked as a driver in the city of Barcelona.
At the age of 26, he was one of the passengers who boarded the Titanic in Cherbourg on Wednesday, April 10, 1912, traveling with Emilio Pallas, Florentina and Asunción Duran (both sisters), as a Second Class passenger, his number ticket for the liner was (SC/PARIS 2146, £13 17s 3d); He wanted to visit New York before reaching his destination, which was a house he had in Havana (Cuba), located in Plaza del Valor.
Julián Padrón met a woman on his voyage, who was also Spanish. She was called Florentina Durán y Moré (born in Sant Adrià, Province of Lleida, Catalonia, in 1882). She 30 years old and had taken the sea voyage accompanied by her sister Asunción Durán.
On the night of April 14 Titanic had collided with an iceberg. Julián Padrón found out about the incident shortly after and took the lifejacket he had in his cabin before going up to the deck. Julián managed to board lifeboat 9 which was lowered around 1:28 A.M.
Julián was a lucky man. Not only was he one of only 14 male Second Class passengers who survived the disaster out of 168. He also had found love and had made the best of a perilous situation. He and his new acquaintence Florentina soon became engaged. After getting married, they moved to Cuba to live in his new house. They remained childless.
Florentina died on Thursday, October 1, 1959 and nine years later the widower Julián Padrón Manent, at the age of 83, passed away on Sunday, October 6, 1968. The couple was buried in a mausoleum built in the Colón Cemetery , better known as the Necropolis of Christopher Columbus, located in Havana.