Alden Gates Caldwell – The Youngest Passenger of the Second Class
Alden Gates Caldwell was born on 10 June 1911 in Siam (present-day Thailand), the son of Albert Francis Caldwell and Sylvia Mae Caldwell. He was still an infant, only ten months old, when his family boarded the Titanic.
The Caldwell family had been living in Siam before deciding to return to the United States. They travelled to Southampton and boarded the Titanic there on 10 April 1912 as second class passengers, holding ticket number 248738 (£29). Their destination was Roseville, Illinois.
On the night of the sinking, the family became separated during the evacuation. Alden’s mother, Sylvia, was placed into Lifeboat 13, while the infant Alden, wrapped in a blanket, was passed to Steward Frederick Ray to be lowered into the boat. His father, Albert, is recorded as having stepped into the bow of the lifeboat as it was being lowered. Fellow survivor Lawrence Beesley, who was also aboard Lifeboat 13, later recalled a baby in the boat crying until someone noticed that its feet were exposed to the cold night air — very likely young Alden.
The Caldwell family survived the disaster and were rescued by the RMS Carpathia, arriving in New York on 18 April 1912.
Alden Gates Caldwell went on to live a long life in the United States. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1934 with a master’s degree in chemical engineering and worked for the Leigh-Portland Cement Company for 33 years, living for much of that time in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He retired to Largo, Florida, in 1977 and died there on 18 December 1992 at the age of 81. He was buried at East Lawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Bloomington, Indiana.
This artwork is dedicated to Alden Gates Caldwell: the youngest second-class passenger to survive the sinking, carried to safety as an infant in his mother’s arms. The abstract blue composition evokes the sea, movement and depth, while the shimmering details suggest both fragility and endurance. It is not only a tribute to a survivor, but also a fragment of a much larger commemorative project honouring every passenger and crew member connected to the Titanic.
References and Sources
Monmouth Daily Atlas, 1912
St. Petersburg Times, 1992
Albert Caldwell, „They Said the Titanic Could Not Sink“ (1965)
Credits
Charles Caldwell
Peter Engberg-Klarström
Michael A. Findlay
Phillip Gowan
Nick West
Link and cite this biography
Encyclopedia Titanica (2026) Alden Gates Caldwell (accessed 19th September 2026); URL: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/alden-gates-caldwell.html
