Mauritz Håkan Björnström-Steffansson


Mauritz Håkan Björnström-Steffansson, was a Swedish businessman who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. In early 1913, Steffansson filed by far the largest claim for financial compensation made against the White Star Line, for the loss of a single item of luggage or cargo as a result of the disaster.

Early life

Mauritz Håkan was born to Erik Samuel Steffansson and Berta Maria Björnström on 9 November 1883 in Österfärnebo, 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. He became a reserve underlöjtnant in the Svea Artillery Regiment in 1904.

''Titanic'' survivor

Hugh Woolner’s testimony

Awards committee

Claim for lost painting

Later life

In 1917, Steffansson married Mary Pinchot Eno, whom he was introduced to by fellow Titanic survivor Helen Churchill Candee. In the 1920s, Steffansson made a large fortune by acquiring significant interests in Canadian paper and pulp industries, and in real estate. He was also responsible for developing significant real estate holdings in the Park Avenue area of New York into apartments and hotels. He retired in 1930.
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 on Manhattan island. As the Björnström-Steffanssons were childless, the bulk of their fortune was left to Mauritz Håkan’s nephew Thord Steffansson.