Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
Encyclopedia
Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours (24 June 1771 – 31 October 1834), 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
. His descendants, the Du Pont family
, were one of America's richest and most prominent families in the 19th and 20th centuries.
, son of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours
and Nicole Charlotte Marie Louise Le Dée de Rencourt. His father had been elevated to the nobility in 1784 by "letters patent" from King Louis XVI. He married Sophie Dalmas (1775–1828) in 1791 and they had eight children. In 1799, his family immigrated to the United States. He himself arrived in Rhode Island, where he landed, on 1 January 1800, along with his father and brother's family. By 1802, he had established both his business and his home, Eleutherian Mills
, on the Brandywine Creek in Delaware
. 1 January is the arrival anniversary of the du Pont family in America, and it is still so celebrated by the descendants.
at the Arsenal in Paris. It was from Lavoisier that he gained his expertise in nitrate extraction and manufacture.
He also worked at a gunpowder
mill in Essones and managed a saltpetre refinery. Like his father, he was initially a supporter of the French Revolution
. However, both were among those who physically defended King Louis XVI
and Marie Antoinette
from a mob besieging the Tuileries Palace
in Paris during the insurrection of 10 August
, 1792. After his father narrowly escaped the guillotine
and the family house was sacked by a mob in 1797 during the events of 18 Fructidor, the entire family left for the United States in 1799. They hoped to create a model community of French émigré
s.
, a former French artillery officer then employed by the United States Army to procure gunpowder supplies. DuPont commented on the inferior quality of the American-made powder they were using for hunting, and the major suggested he should use his experience from France to manufacture gunpowder in the United States. His gunpowder company was capitalized at $36,000 with 18 shares at $2,000 each. He purchased a site on Brandywine Creek for $6,740. There were several small buildings and a dam with foundations for a cotton-spinning mill which had been destroyed by fire. The first gunpowder was produced in April, 1804.
, near Greenville
. The company he founded would become one of the largest and most successful American corporations. His sons, Alfred V. du Pont
(1798–1856) and Henry du Pont (1812–1889), managed the plant after his death assisted by his son-in-law, Antoine Bidermann. His grandson, Lammot du Pont I (1831–1884), was the first president of the United States Gunpowder Trade Association popularly known as the powder trust.
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...
chemist and industrialist who immigrated to the United States in 1799 and founded the gunpowder manufacturer, 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...
. His descendants, the Du Pont family
Du Pont family
The Du Pont family is an American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours . 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...
, were one of America's richest and most prominent families in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Early life and family
Du Pont was born 24 June 1771, in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, son 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 Nicole Charlotte Marie Louise Le Dée de Rencourt. His father had been elevated to the nobility in 1784 by "letters patent" from King Louis XVI. He married Sophie Dalmas (1775–1828) in 1791 and they had eight children. In 1799, his family immigrated to the United States. He himself arrived in Rhode Island, where he landed, on 1 January 1800, along with his father and brother's family. By 1802, he had established both his business and his home, Eleutherian Mills
Eleutherian Mills
From 1802 to 1921, Eleutherian Mills was a gunpowder mill site used for the manufacture of explosives by the Du Pont family business. The name also refers to the house on the hill above the mills, which was the first Du Pont family home in America. The business was founded by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont...
, on the Brandywine Creek in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. 1 January is the arrival anniversary of the du Pont family in America, and it is still so celebrated by the descendants.
His career in France
Du Pont worked for Antoine LavoisierAntoine Lavoisier
Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier , the "father of modern chemistry", was a French nobleman prominent in the histories of chemistry and biology...
at the Arsenal in Paris. It was from Lavoisier that he gained his expertise in nitrate extraction and manufacture.
He also worked at a gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
mill in Essones and managed a saltpetre refinery. Like his father, he was initially a supporter of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. However, both were among those who physically defended King Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
and Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
from a mob besieging the Tuileries Palace
Tuileries Palace
The Tuileries Palace was a royal palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine until 1871, when it was destroyed in the upheaval during the suppression of the Paris Commune...
in Paris during the insurrection of 10 August
10th of August (French Revolution)
On 10 August 1792, during the French Revolution, revolutionary Fédéré militias — with the backing of a new municipal government of Paris that came to be known as the "insurrectionary" Paris Commune and ultimately supported by the National Guard — besieged the Tuileries palace. King Louis XVI and...
, 1792. After his father narrowly escaped the guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
and the family house was sacked by a mob in 1797 during the events of 18 Fructidor, the entire family left for the United States in 1799. They hoped to create a model community of French émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
s.
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
Du Pont brought an expertise in chemistry and gunpowder making, during a time when the quality of American-made gunpowder was very poor. Shortly after arrival in the United States DuPont was hunting with Major Louis de TousardLouis de Tousard
Louis de Tousard was a French artillerist who served in the American Continental Army under La Fayette, and later was given a US commission...
, a former French artillery officer then employed by the United States Army to procure gunpowder supplies. DuPont commented on the inferior quality of the American-made powder they were using for hunting, and the major suggested he should use his experience from France to manufacture gunpowder in the United States. His gunpowder company was capitalized at $36,000 with 18 shares at $2,000 each. He purchased a site on Brandywine Creek for $6,740. There were several small buildings and a dam with foundations for a cotton-spinning mill which had been destroyed by fire. The first gunpowder was produced in April, 1804.
His death and his legacy
Du Pont died on 31 October 1834, at Eleutherian MillsEleutherian Mills
From 1802 to 1921, Eleutherian Mills was a gunpowder mill site used for the manufacture of explosives by the Du Pont family business. The name also refers to the house on the hill above the mills, which was the first Du Pont family home in America. The business was founded by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont...
, near Greenville
Greenville, Delaware
Greenville is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 2,326 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Greenville is located at ....
. The company he founded would become one of the largest and most successful American corporations. His sons, Alfred V. du Pont
Alfred V. du Pont
Alfred 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) and Henry du Pont (1812–1889), managed the plant after his death assisted by his son-in-law, Antoine Bidermann. His grandson, Lammot du Pont I (1831–1884), was the first president of the United States Gunpowder Trade Association popularly known as the powder trust.
External links
- Bio at the Du Pont company website
- The DuPont Company on the Brandywine (A digital exhibit produced by the Hagley Library that includes the influence of Eleuthere Irenee du Pont in the founding of the company]