John Hardy was the chief steward of second class. He survived the sinking in the last launched lifeboat. He was the son of John Hardy (b. 1845), a saddler and harness maker, and his wife Sarah (b. 1844). His father was Irish by birth, hailing from Dublin, and his mother a native of Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. He had four known siblings: Mary (b. 1869), Walter (b. 1874), Ernest (b. 1881) and William (b. 1882). John had, by 1912, been working for the White Star Line for twelve years, serving on the Majestic, Adriatic, Olympic, Teutonic and finally Titanic.