James Cameron had no idea that there was a real J. Dawson aboard the Titanic when he chose the name for his male lead character. His name was James Dawson and he was part of the Engineering Department aboard the Titanic.

He was 23 years old from Dublin, Ireland. He came to Southampton to look for work. He joined the Titanic as a Trimmer and perished in the sinking. His body was recovered and he was buried on May 8th, 1912, in Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, NS.