08/20/2026
Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche was not a fictional character from the Titanic story, but a real Haitian engineer whose life took him from Cap-Haïtien to France and eventually onto the most famous shipwreck in modern history. Born in Haiti in 1886, Laroche was sent to France as a teenager to study engineering. He earned an engineering degree and later married Juliette Lafargue, a French woman. The couple had two daughters, Simonne and Louise, and in 1912 they were preparing to leave France and return to Haiti.
Laroche and his family boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, France, as second-class passengers on April 10, 1912. The wording on this image needs a small correction: Joseph was the only known Black adult passenger aboard, while his two daughters were also passengers of Black ancestry. His wife Juliette was white. Together, the family is generally described by historians as the only known Black family aboard the Titanic. Their destination was Haiti, where Laroche hoped to build a better future for his family. His decision to leave France was partly connected to the racial discrimination he had encountered there, including difficulties finding work despite his education and qualifications.
When the Titanic struck the iceberg on April 14, Laroche's priorities were his wife and children. Juliette and their two daughters survived the sinking after being placed in a lifeboat, while Joseph did not survive. His body was never identified. The family eventually returned to France, and his daughter Louise lived until 1998, making her one of the last surviving members of the Laroche family.
What makes Laroche's story particularly significant is that the Titanic is often remembered through the experiences of wealthy white passengers, famous businessmen and European and American elites. His presence complicates that familiar picture. He was a Black Haitian engineer, an educated professional, a husband and a father who was travelling across the Atlantic with plans for a new life. His story also reflects the possibilities and limitations facing Black professionals in the early 20th century. Laroche had achieved an education in Europe, yet racial discrimination still affected his ability to build the career he wanted. His life was tragically cut short at only 25 years old, but his place in history remains.
