Mr Giuseppe Giorgio Rumen¹ was born in Kraljevica² (Porto Re in Italian), Austria-Hungary (modern-day Croatia) on 19 March 1894. Little is known about his early life but, like many at the time in that region of southeast Europe, he was of Italian ethnicity.

In April 1912 Rumen was serving as a waiter aboard the eastbound voyage of the Carpathia when that ship rescued the survivors of the Titanic disaster. 

Rumen stepped off the Carpathia for the last time in April 1913, travelling to San Francisco, California where he settled and eventually worked as a machinist and later becoming a naturalised citizen, being known as Joseph George Rumen in his new home. He was married in 1944 to Rose Storelli, née Quontamatto (b. 31 December 1902 in Porto San Giorgio, Italy; d. 11 August 1996); whilst they had no children of their own, Rumen was stepfather to two children from his wife’s previous marriage, Evelyn and Wallace and became a beloved grandfather to both of their children. 

Joseph Rumen (né Giuseppe Rumen) died in San Francisco aged 65 on 28 August 1959; he was interred at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in San Mateo.