Du Pont family
Encyclopedia
The Du Pont family is an American
family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours
(1739–1817). The son of a Paris watchmaker and a member of a Burgundian
noble family, he and his sons, Victor Marie du Pont
and Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
, emigrated to the United States
in 1800 and used the resources of their Huguenot
heritage to found one of the most prominent of American
families, and one of its most successful corporation
s, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
, initially established by Eleuthère Irénée as a gunpowder manufacturer. Various members of the family managed the company well into the twentieth century and to this day family trusts constitute a substantial portion of the company's ownership. This and other companies run by the du Pont family employ some five to ten percent of Delaware's population. The family also played a very large part in politics during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and were responsible for the idea of the Louisiana purchase
. During the 19th century, the Du Pont family maintained their family wealth by carefully arranged marriages between first cousins
which, at the time, was the norm for many rich families.
. However, the name of the chemical company founded by the family is commonly referred to as DuPont
, or, in the long form, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
. Other members spelled it as duPont, notably the renowned thoroughbred
racehorse
owners William duPont, Jr.
and his sister, Marion duPont Scott.
Below is an alphabetical listing of selected notable members of the family. It is followed by a listing of their families in order of descent. The listing is intended only to illustrate the relationships among the notable members of the family and is not a complete genealogy. The only family groupings and lines of descent shown are those necessary to illustrate relationships for notable members of the family. By 1942 there were believed to be 705 direct descendants of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours
and there are now well over 2000 living members of the family.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours
Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours
Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours was a French nobleman, writer, economist, and government official, who was the father of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of E.I...
(1739–1817). The son of a Paris watchmaker and a member of a Burgundian
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
noble family, he and his sons, Victor Marie du Pont
Victor Marie du Pont
Victor Marie du Pont de Nemours was a French diplomat, and after emigrating to the United States, an American businessman. He was the founder of the Du Pont, Bauday & Co., wool manufacturers, brother of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of the E.I...
and Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours , known as Irénée du Pont, or E.I. du Pont, was a French-born Huguenot chemist and industrialist who immigrated to the United States in 1799 and founded the gunpowder manufacturer, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company...
, emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1800 and used the resources of their Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
heritage to found one of the most prominent of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
families, and one of its most successful corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, initially established by Eleuthère Irénée as a gunpowder manufacturer. Various members of the family managed the company well into the twentieth century and to this day family trusts constitute a substantial portion of the company's ownership. This and other companies run by the du Pont family employ some five to ten percent of Delaware's population. The family also played a very large part in politics during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and were responsible for the idea of the Louisiana purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
. During the 19th century, the Du Pont family maintained their family wealth by carefully arranged marriages between first cousins
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
which, at the time, was the norm for many rich families.
Spelling of the name
The usual spelling of the family name is du Pont when quoting an individual's full name and Du Pont when speaking of the family as a whole; some individual Du Ponts have chosen to spell it differently, perhaps most notably Samuel Francis Du PontSamuel Francis du Pont
Samuel Francis Du Pont was an American naval officer who achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, and a member of the prominent Du Pont family; he was the only member of his generation to use a capital D...
. However, the name of the chemical company founded by the family is commonly referred to as DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, or, in the long form, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
. Other members spelled it as duPont, notably the renowned thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
owners William duPont, Jr.
William duPont, Jr.
William duPont, Jr. was an American businessman and banker and a prominent figure in the sport of thoroughbred horse racing. A member of the Delaware Du Pont family, he was the son of William du Pont and Annie Rogers , and brother to horsewoman, Marion.In 1919, he married Jean Liseter Austin...
and his sister, Marion duPont Scott.
Below is an alphabetical listing of selected notable members of the family. It is followed by a listing of their families in order of descent. The listing is intended only to illustrate the relationships among the notable members of the family and is not a complete genealogy. The only family groupings and lines of descent shown are those necessary to illustrate relationships for notable members of the family. By 1942 there were believed to be 705 direct descendants of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours
Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours
Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours was a French nobleman, writer, economist, and government official, who was the father of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of E.I...
and there are now well over 2000 living members of the family.
Alphabetical list of selected descendants of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours
- A. Felix du PontAlexis F. du PontAlexis Felix du Pont Sr. was a member of the American du Pont family and helped found St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware. His son, Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr., co-founded the All American Aviation Company, predecessor of today's US Airways Group, Inc, whose primary subsidiary is US Airways,...
(1879–1948) - A. Felix du Pont, Jr.Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr.Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr. was an American aviation pioneer, soldier, philanthropist, and a member of the prominent Du Pont family.-Biography:...
(1905–1996) - Alexis Irénée du Pont (1816–1857)
- Alexis Irénée du Pont, Jr. (1843–1904)
- Alexis Irénée du Pont, III (1869–1921)
- Alfred Irénée du PontAlfred I. du PontAlfred Irénée du Pont was an American industrialist, financier and philanthropist. A member of the influential Du Pont family, Alfred du Pont first rose to prominence through his work in his family's Delaware-based gunpowder manufacturing plant, E. I...
(1864–1935) - Alfred Victor Philadelphe du PontAlfred V. du PontAlfred Victor Philadelphe du Pont was an American chemist and industrialist, who was the eldest son and successor of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company....
(1798–1856) - Amy Elizabeth du PontAmy Elizabeth du PontAmy Elizabeth du Pont was a prominent member of the du Pont family of American industrialists. Known as "Miss Amy", she was the youngest daughter of Eugene du Pont; she never married...
(1875–1962) - Benjamin Franklin du Pont (born 1964) founder of yet2.comYet2.comyet2.com is a global technology marketplace founded in 1999. The company is based around the idea of open innovation, and allows all types of technologies to be bought and sold...
- Charles Irénée du PontCharles I. du PontCharles Irénée du Pont was an American manufacturer and politician. He was the owner of the Du Pont, Bauday & Co. wool manufacturers, a nephew of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of the E.I...
(1797–1869) - Charles Irénée du Pont, IICharles I. du PontCharles Irénée du Pont was an American manufacturer and politician. He was the owner of the Du Pont, Bauday & Co. wool manufacturers, a nephew of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of the E.I...
(1859–1902) - Eleuthère Irénée du PontEleuthère Irénée du PontÉleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours , known as Irénée du Pont, or E.I. du Pont, was a French-born Huguenot chemist and industrialist who immigrated to the United States in 1799 and founded the gunpowder manufacturer, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company...
(1771–1834) - Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, II (1829–1877)
- Ethel du PontEthel du PontEthel du Pont Roosevelt Warren was an American heiress and socialite and a member of the prominent du Pont family.Born in Wilmington, Delaware, she was the daughter of Eugene du Pont, Jr...
(1916–1965) - Eugene du PontEugene du PontEugene du Pont was an American businessman who served as the first head of modern day DuPont. Son of Alexis Irénée du Pont and grandson of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. Eugene graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and joined the business in 1861...
(1840–1902) - Eugene du Pont, Jr. (1873–1954)
- Eleuthère Paul du PontE. Paul du PontEleuthere Paul du Pont was an American industrialist, and the son of Francis Gurney du Pont. He founded Du Pont Motors, a manufacturer of automobiles and marine engines, and later bought and became President of Indian Motorcycles.-Biography:...
(1887–1950) - Francis Gurney du PontFrancis Gurney du PontFrancis Gurney du Pont was the creator of smokeless gunpowder and the youngest son of Alexis I. du Pont and the grandson of E. I. du Pont. Francis served as superintendent of the Upper and Lower Hagley Yards and later as general manager of Carney’s Point, New Jersey, in 1891. His invention was...
(1850–1904) - Francis Irénée du PontFrancis I. du PontFrancis Irénée du Pont was an American chemist, and manager at the E.I. du Pont de Nemours Company. He was the great grandson of its founder, Eleuthère Irénée du Pont....
(1873–1942) - Francis Marieanne Wilson du Pont (1940-)
- Henry du Pont (1812–1889)
- Henry Algernon du PontHenry A. du PontHenry Algernon du Pont , known as "Colonel Henry", was an American soldier and politician from Winterthur, near Greenville, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of the American Civil War, and a member of the Republican Party, who served two terms as U.S...
(1838–1926) - Henry Francis du PontHenry Francis du PontHenry Francis du Pont , Harvard 1903, married 1916 Ruth Wales was an American horticulturist, an expert on early American furniture and decorative arts – particularly of the Federal furniture, and a member of the prominent du Pont family....
(1880–1969) - Jane du Pont LungerJane du Pont LungerJane du Pont Lunger was an American heiress, philanthropist, and an owner/breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. A sixth generation member of Delaware's prominent Du Pont family, her father, Philip Francis du Pont, was a major benefactor to the University of Virginia.In 1934, Jane du Pont married...
(1914–2001) - John Eleuthère du PontJohn Eleuthère du PontJohn Eleuthère duPont was an American multimillionaire and member of the prominent du Pont family who was convicted of murder in the third degree...
(1938–2010) - Irénée du PontIrénée du PontIrénée du Pont was a U.S. businessman, former president of the DuPont company and head of the Du Pont trust.-Biography:A descendant of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, he graduated from Andover in 1894 and MIT in 1897, then worked for Fenn’s Manufacturing Contracting Company for a number of years before...
(1876–1963) - Lammot du PontLammot du PontLammot du Pont I was a key member of the Du Pont family in the mid-nineteenth century. His father was Alfred V. du Pont, the eldest son and successor of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of DuPont. He obtained a chemistry degree from the University of Pennsylvania and entered into the family...
(1831–1884) - Lammot du Pont IILammot du Pont IILammot du Pont II was an American businessman who was the head of the du Pont family's E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company for 22 years....
(1880–1952) - Marion duPont (1894–1983)
- Maximillian Hobson du Pont (born 1985) Rocket Scientist
- Louise Evelina du Pont CrowninshieldLouise E. du Pont CrowninshieldLouise Evelina du Pont Crowninshield was an American heiress and preservationist, who was the great granddaughter of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company....
(1877–1958) - Pierre Samuel du Pont de NemoursPierre Samuel du Pont de NemoursPierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours was a French nobleman, writer, economist, and government official, who was the father of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of E.I...
(1739–1817) - Pierre S. du PontPierre S. du PontPierre Samuel du Pont was president of the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company from 1915 to 1919, and served on its Board of Directors until 1940...
(1870–1954) - Pierre du Pont III (1911–1988)
- Pierre S. "Pete" du Pont, IVPierre S. du Pont, IVPierre Samuel "Pete" du Pont IV is an American lawyer and politician from Rockland, in New Castle County, Delaware, near Wilmington. He is a member of the Republican Party, who served three terms as U.S...
(born 1935) - Pierre S. duPont, V (born 1959-) (Co-founder of ZephyrDocs which was acquired by IntraLinks in May, 2000. Partner in Occom)
- Reynolds du Pont (born 1918)
- Richard C. du PontRichard C. du PontRichard Chichester du Pont was an American businessman and an aviation and glider pioneer who was a member of the prominent Du Pont family....
(1911–1943) - Samuel Francis Du PontSamuel Francis du PontSamuel Francis Du Pont was an American naval officer who achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, and a member of the prominent Du Pont family; he was the only member of his generation to use a capital D...
(1803–1865) - Thomas Coleman du PontT. Coleman du PontThomas Coleman du Pont was an American engineer and politician, from Greenville, Delaware. He was President of the of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, and a member of the Republican Party who served parts of two terms as United States Senator from Delaware...
(1863–1930) - Victor Marie du PontVictor Marie du PontVictor Marie du Pont de Nemours was a French diplomat, and after emigrating to the United States, an American businessman. He was the founder of the Du Pont, Bauday & Co., wool manufacturers, brother of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of the E.I...
(1767–1827) - William du Pont (1855–1928)
- William duPont, Jr.William duPont, Jr.William duPont, Jr. was an American businessman and banker and a prominent figure in the sport of thoroughbred horse racing. A member of the Delaware Du Pont family, he was the son of William du Pont and Annie Rogers , and brother to horsewoman, Marion.In 1919, he married Jean Liseter Austin...
(1896–1965)
See also
- Hagley Museum and LibraryHagley Museum and LibraryThe Hagley Museum and Library is a nonprofit educational institution located in Wilmington, Delaware. Hagley Museum and Library collects, preserves and interprets the history of American enterprise.- Hagley Library :...
- Longwood GardensLongwood GardensLongwood Gardens consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States in the Brandywine Creek Valley...
- Winterthur Museum and Grounds
- Nemours Mansion and GardensNemours Mansion and GardensThe Nemours Mansion and Gardens is a country estate with jardin à la française formal gardens and a classical French mansion located in Wilmington, Delaware. The mansion resembles a Château and contains more than seventy rooms spread over five floors occupying nearly . It shares the grounds with...