William Crothers Dulles was a passenger on Titanic.
Early life[]
William Crothers Dulles was born on December 21, 1872 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was Andrew Cheves Dulles, a laywer and insurance agent. His mother was Mary Bartow Cooke Crothers. A sister would be conceived in 1877, named Margaret.
Having been educated and grown up, he was qualified as an attorney but never became one. He operated a horse-breeding farm, Tophill Farm, in Goshen, New York. William accumulated a large collection of equine-related books and art which he stored in a bunker on his country property and was the only person to have a key to it. William was a bachelor. In 1901 his father passed away. After Andrew’s death, taking care of his mother became his main focus. He was said to have escorted her to every proper Philadelphia occasion.
In December 1911, William and his mother traveled to Paris to visit his sister Margaret. He then traveled across Europe looking for rare equine books. In Paris, he and his mother went their own way.
Titanic[]
On April 10, 1912, he boarded the Titanic with his dog, unknown what name, most likely a Chevalier. He embarked in Cherbourg, France as a First Class passenger. He had a ticket for cabin A-18. Dulles got to know William Sloper and they became friends during the voyage.
On April 14, the ship collided with an iceberg, and the impact left enough damage to cause her to sink. On April 15, the commanding crew of the ship became aware that she would founder and an order for evacuation was given.
It’s not clear what the experience of William was that night, his whereabouts or what he did but he didn’t make it off the ship alive.
Dulles’ body was one of only 328 bodies recovered. He was found by the C.S. Mackay-Bennett and listed as body #133. He was wearing a green suit, grey vest, gold watch and chain, a gold plated knife and a gold tie clip. He was identified by his gold tie clip with his initials. His body would be laid to rest at the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.