Mauritz Håkan Björnström-Steffansson | |
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 Björnström-Steffansson was in lifeboat D | |
| Born | (1883-11-09)9 November 1883 Österfärnebo, Sweden |
| Died | 21 May 1962(1962-05-21) (aged 78) New York City, United States |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | RMSTitanic Survivor |
Mauritz Håkan Björnström-Steffansson (Swedish pronunciation:[ˈmaɵrɪʈshoːkanbjœrsʈrœːm-sʈe:ffanssɔn']) (also referred to as Hokan B. Steffanson), (9 November 1883 – 21 May 1962) was a Swedish businessman who survived the sinking of theRMSTitanic in 1912. In early 1913, Steffansson filed by far the largest claim for financial compensation made against theWhite Star Line, for the loss of a single item of luggage or cargo as a result of the disaster.[1]
Mauritz Håkan was born to Erik Samuel Steffansson and Berta Maria Björnström on 9 November 1883 inÖsterfärnebo, Sweden. His father was a pioneer in the Swedish wood pulp industry. After studying chemical engineering at the Stockholm Institute of Technology, Steffansson was awarded a Swedish government scholarship to continue his studies in Washington, D.C.[2] He became a reserveunderlöjtnant in theSvea Artillery Regiment in 1904.[3]
On 10 April 1912, Steffansson bought a first class ticket and boarded theTitanic atSouthampton (ticket number 110564, £26 11s).[4] According to the testimony ofHugh Woolner at the United States Senate Inquiry into the disaster, he and Steffansson were in the first class smoking room at the moment of impact with the iceberg. After putting on their lifebelts, the two men went on deck and began helping crew members fill the lifeboats with women and children, in what they initially believed was a precautionary exercise.
Once the seriousness of the situation was understood, Woolner recounted, he and Steffansson helped the crew physically remove a number of men who had forced their way into lifeboat C, ahead of women and children. Woolner confirmed that when all the lifeboats were launched, moments before the ship finally went under, he and Steffansson took the opportunity to jump from the rails of the flooding A deck into an empty space at the bow ofcollapsible lifeboat D, the last lifeboat to leave the ship. Woolner and Steffansson pulled another man from the water and together, they helped to row the lifeboat away from the ship.[5]
After the disaster, Steffansson joined a survivors' committee which formed to award medals and a cup to the Captain, officers, and crew of the rescue shipRMSCarpathia.[6]
Compensation claims submitted to US commissioner Gilchrist in New York, in January 1913, included a submission from Björnström-Steffansson demanding $100,000 (equivalent to $3.2 million in 2024) in compensation for the loss ofLa Circassienne au Bain, a large neoclassical oil painting by French painterMerry-Joseph Blondel. The compensation claim was the largest submitted for a single item of either passenger luggage or cargo.[1]
In 1917, Steffansson married Mary Pinchot Eno, whom he was introduced to by fellowTitanic survivorHelen Churchill Candee. In the 1920s, Steffansson made a large fortune by acquiring significant interests in Canadian paper andpulp industries, and in real estate. He was also responsible for developing significant real estate holdings in thePark Avenue area of New York into apartments and hotels. He retired in 1930.[citation needed]
Mary Björnström-Steffansson died in 1953, Mauritz Håkan in May 1962. At the time of his death, the couple's residence on East 57th Street was one of the few remaining private houses onManhattan island. As the Björnström-Steffanssons were childless, the bulk of their fortune was left to Mauritz Håkan's nephew Thord Steffansson.[2]
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