Dr. Washington Dodge, Mrs. Ruth Vidaver Dodge and Master Washington Dodge IV

By: Sam Gross

Dr. Washington Dodge was born in California in 1859. He was married and had a son named Henry, but then divorced his wife. He was elected a member of the Board of Supervisors in New York City in 1896, and two years later he was elected City Assessor.

He later married Ruth Vidaver, who had been in a past marriage and had a daughter named Vida. Ladies in that time period took their husbands full name, so she became Mrs. Washington Dodge.

 The couple had a son named Master Washington Dodge Jr. the 4^th. The family boarded the Titanic at Southampton as first class passengers. Their cabin was A-34, and their ticket cost ₤81, 17 Shillings, and 2 Pence each, which was equivalent to $486.94. Back then, money had more of a value then it does now. So their ticket would have been within $50,000 and $77,000. Their ticket number was 33638.

On the night the Titanic sank, the family was split apart in the frenzy to get on the life boats. Ruth and Washington Jr. boarded life boat No. 5, but were transferred to lifeboat No. 7, the same life boat as Miss Margaret Hays, who was a survivor who took along her Pomeranian when she boarded the lifeboat. Dr. Washington was rescued in the water by life boat No.13. The family regrouped on the Carpathia.

 All members of the family eventually died. Dr. Washington Dodge suffered from an emotional breakdown and shot himself on June 30^th, 1919. Ruth Dodge died in Manhattan, New York, on the July of 1950. Master Washington suffered a heart attack and died in New York City in December, 1974.

Citations 

"Dr. Washington Dodge." http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/. 1996. 26 Mar. 2008 <http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/94/>.

"Mrs Ruth Dodge (NéE Vidaver)." http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/. 1996. 26 Mar. 2008 <http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/95/>.

"Master Washington Dodge Jr." http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/. 1996.26 Mar. 2008 <http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/96/>.

http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/. 26 Mar. 2008 <http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/95/>.

http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/96/. 26 Mar. 2008 <http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/>.

http://www.sfmuseum.org/. 26 Mar. 2008 <http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist5/dodge6.html>