Mr James Hutchison ¹ was born at 2 Tees Street, Kirkdale, Lancashire on 26 November 1880.

He was the eldest child of James Hutchison (b. 1849), a master mariner, and Hannah Ritson (b. 1857). His father had been born at sea, and his mother hailed from Black Hill, County Durham.  They were married in Liverpool on 26 Feb 1880, and went on to produce at least six children of whom five survived into adulthood.

James' surviving siblings were: William Ritson (b. 1884), Robert (b. 1887), Harry (b. 1893) and John (b. 1898).

He first appears as an infant on the 1881 census living with his parents at 321 Westminster Road, Kirkdale.

In 1891 Hannah and the children are listed at 14 Richmond Street, Liscard, Wallasey, Lancashire, with father James being absent.

By 1901 the family were living in Bootle at 146 Beatrice Street but James was absent, presumably at sea at the time. He first appears on shipping records on 10 April 1899 when he was working as a cook aboard Cymric; a year later he was to be found on both the Winfredian and Teutonic, stating his address as 146 Beatrice Street on both occasions and working variously as a cook or ordinary seaman.

His father died in 1910 aged 61 and the family moved to Liscard, Cheshire, appearing there on the 1911 census residing at 42 Charlotte Road with James being described as an unmarried ship's cook. He would lose his mother later that year aged 54 and he and his siblings later settled at 91 Woodcroft Road, Liverpool.

When he signed-on to the Titanic on 4 April 1912, Hutchison gave his local address as 2 Oxford Street in Southampton. He had been transferred from the Olympic and as vegetable cook he received monthly wages of £6, 10.

James Hutchinson died in the sinking. His body was recovered by the Mackay-Bennett and he was buried at Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10 May 1912.

His estate, valued at £100, was administered to his brother William Hutchison, a hairdresser, on 30 April 1912. Tragedy again struck the family shortly after when William Hutchison died on 15 July 1912 in Forçados, Nigeria in unknown circumstances.