Walter Samuel Carpenter Jr. (January 8, 1888 – February 2, 1976) was an American corporate executive from

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, who oversaw the DuPont company's involvement in the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

to produce an atomic bomb for use during World War II. In 1919, at age 31, Carpenter was the youngest man elected to DuPont's board of directors, and the first who was not from the

du Pont family The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). It has been one of the richest families in the United States since the mid-19th century, when it founded its f ...

. During his tenure on the board he served as treasurer from 1921 until 1940, as chairman of the finance committee from 1930 until 1940, as president from 1940 until 1948, continued as chairman until 1962, and as honorary chairman until 1974. He also served on the board of directors of General Motors from 1927 until 1959. Born in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...

, to Walter Samuel Carpenter and Isabella Morgan, Carpenter studied mechanical engineering at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

, and participated in DuPont’s summer programs at Gibbstown and

Carneys Point, New Jersey Carneys Point Township is a township in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 8,049, reflecting an increase of 365 (+4.8%) from the 7,684 counted in the 2000 Census, which ha ...

, before dropping out of school his senior year to manage DuPont’s Chilean nitrate interests. He began working with one of his two brothers,

R. R. M. Carpenter Robert Ruliph Morgan Carpenter (July 30, 1877 – June 11, 1949) was an American executive and member of the board of directors of DuPont. Biography He was born on July 30, 1877 to Walter Samuel Carpenter and Bedde Morgan. Known as "Ruly", Carp ...

, in 1911, helping guide the company’s development of celluloid and dyes. He married Mary Wootten in 1914. Carpenter was responsible for DuPont's 1933 acquisition of Remington Arms and its partnership with IG Farben for producing war supplies. Carpenter remained involved with Cornell University after he departed, serving on its board of trustees. His donation of $500,000 made the construction of Lynah Rink possible, named after a DuPont coworker and Cornell athletic director

James Lynah James Lynah (1881 – February 24, 1956) was an American businessman and sports administrator who is considered the principal founder of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Lynah Rink is named in his honor. Early years Born in Charl ...

. Carpenter also donated $1 million for the construction of Carpenter Hall, which houses the engineering library.

External links

*Harvard Business School'
20th Century Great American Business Leaders
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Walter S. Jr. 1888 births 1976 deaths American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies People from Wilmington, Delaware Cornell University College of Engineering alumni DuPont people Manhattan Project people