Alexis Irénée du Pont Jr. (June 5, 1843 – November 26, 1904) was an American business executive and non-practicing physician. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. Du Pont was a son of

Alexis Irénée du Pont Alexis Irénée du Pont (February 14, 1816 – August 23, 1857) was an American business executive who ran the Eleutherian Mills gunpowder factory in Delaware. He was fatally injured along with five of his employees in an accidental explosion at ...

and grandson of Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, founder of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company.

Early life and education

Born in New Castle County, Delaware, du Pont grew up with his maternal grandparents in Philadelphia. His father, Alexis Irénée du Pont, died in an accidental explosion in 1857. His mother was Joanna Maria Smith. He attended the

Episcopal Academy The Episcopal Academy, founded in 1785, is a private, co-educational school for grades Pre-K through 12 based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Prior to 2008, the main campus was located in Merion Station and the satellite campus was located in D ...

and received his BA in 1863 and his MD in 1866 from the University of Pennsylvania. Instead of practicing medicine, he moved to Louisville, Kentucky, to join his cousins in a paper-making concern.

Business career

Du Pont lived in Louisville for ten years before returning to his ancestral home in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1885. He moved to Brooklyn,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, for three years to oversee his interests in the Brooklyn Street Railroad before returning to Wilmington. He then became a senior partner in the du Pont de Nemours Company and vice president of the Repauno Chemical Company, formed in 1880 to manufacture dynamite at a remote spot along the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

in Gibbstown, New Jersey. Following the death of his elder brother

Eugène du Pont Eugène du Pont (November 16, 1840 – January 28, 1902) was an American businessman who served as the first head of the modern-day DuPont corporation. Life and education Du Pont was born on November 16, 1840 at Hagley House in New Castle Co ...

in 1902 and the takeover of the company by younger cousins, Alexis du Pont was offered the position of president of Repauno Chemical but declined due to failing kidney health. He died on November 26, 1904, at the age of 61 at his country home, Rencourt, outside Wilmington.

Personal life

On February 5, 1867, du Pont married Margaretta Gilpin (1843–1868) of Wilmington. Left a widower a year later, he married Elizabeth Canby Bradford (1852–1925) of Wilmington on January 20, 1875. She was the daughter of U.S. district court judge Edward Green Bradford. While in Louisville, the couple had four children: Alice Eugenie du Pont Ortiz (1876–1940), Philip Francis du Pont (1878–1928), Elizabeth Bradford du Pont Bayard (1880–1975), and Eugene Eleuthère du Pont (1882–1966).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:du Pont, Alexis Irénée Jr. 1843 births 1904 deaths Alexis Irénée Jr. People from New Castle County, Delaware University of Pennsylvania alumni Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni 19th-century American businesspeople American business executives 19th-century American physicians Burials at Du Pont de Nemours Cemetery