Alice Catherine Cooper (1889–1984) was a survivor of the and

nursemaid A nursemaid (or nursery maid) is a mostly historical term for a female domestic worker who cares for children within a large household. The term implies that she is an assistant to an older and more experienced employee, a role usually known as ...

for the

Allison family The Allison family was a Canadian family of first-class passengers on board the RMS ''Titanic'', which struck an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912. The family consisted of Hudson Joshua Creighton Allison (9 December 1881 – 15 April 191 ...

, wealthy insurance moguls from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

during the early 20th century. She is best known for rescuing the youngest Allison child, Hudson Trevor, from the ''Titanic''. Little is known about her later life, as she refused to give interviews after surviving the shipwreck. She was the subject of books and movies that misidentified her as Alice Mary Cleaver, a woman who was infamous for murdering her own infant.

Early life

Alice Catherine Cooper was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 5 July 1889. Her father Joseph Cooper was a

postman A mail carrier, also referred to as a mailman, mailwoman, mailperson, postal carrier, postman, postwoman, postperson, person of post, letter carrier (in American English), or colloquially postie (in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Unite ...

, and her mother was Lavinia Alice Cooper (maiden name Thomas).

Work

When she was 22, Cooper was hired by the Allison family to be a nursemaid for their youngest child, Hudson Trevor. She traveled first class on the ''Titanic'' with them (under ticket No. 113781) and boarded in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. She stayed in the same room as Trevor so that she could care for him, which was right next to the parents in first class.

Night of the shipwreck

On 14 April 1912 the RMS ''Titanic'' struck an iceberg and started to sink. Cooper took Hudson Trevor into her lifeboat, but didn't tell anyone. Speculation claims this confusion could have led to the Allison family perishing, as the mother Bess would not want to leave her son behind. Testimony from that night has speculated as to why she never alerted the Allisons to her departure from her room, but Cooper herself never spoke of the incident.

Identity

There has been some confusion over the age and identity of Alice Cleaver, with some mistaking her for Alice Mary Cleaver, a woman who was convicted in 1909 for the murder of her own child. This misconception was printed as fact in at least two books about the sinking of the ''Titanic'', ''Titanic: An Illustrated History'' (1992) and ''Titanic: Women and Children First'' (1998), and was included as part of the plot for the 1996

television mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. "Limited series" is a ...

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

.'' In the miniseries Cooper was portrayed by

Felicity Waterman Felicity Waterman (born 11 October 1964) is an English actress known for her role as Vanessa Hunt during the final two seasons of the television drama series ''Knots Landing'', and for her role as regular cast member Lt. Abigail Hawling on the ...

as an emotionally unstable young woman with premonitions of the disaster, who then sees the opportunity to rescue baby Trevor from the sinking ship as a saving grace from her tumultuous past. Cooper's age has also been debated due to descriptions of her being a competent nursemaid and a good maternal figure, which ''Titanic Lives'' author Rob Rondeau believes were indicative of an older woman.

Portrayals

(1996) ''

'' * Izabella Urbanowicz (2012) ''

''; TV series

References

External links

* Encyclopedia Titanica
Miss Alice Catherine Cleaver
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Alice RMS Titanic survivors 1889 births 1984 deaths English emigrants to Canada Canadian expatriates in England 20th-century Canadian people 20th-century English people 20th-century British women 20th-century Canadian women