Ethel du Pont Roosevelt-Warren (January 30, 1916 – May 25, 1965) was an American heiress and

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

and a member of the prominent

du Pont family The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817), a French minor aristocrat. Currently residing in the U.S. states of Delaware and Pennsylvania, the Du Ponts have been ...

. She is best known for her widely publicized marriage to Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., son of the 32nd U.S. president

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

and

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

Early life

Ethel du Pont was born on January 30, 1916, in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, the eldest child of Eugene du Pont Jr. and Ethel Pyle. She was the granddaughter of Eugene du Pont (1840–1902), the first head of the modern

DuPont corporation Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname), a surname of French origin * Du Pont family, one of the wealthiest families in the United States Companies * DuPont, one of the world's largest chemical compan ...

, who saw the corporation into the 20th century. Her siblings were Aimée du Pont, Nicholas R. du Pont, and Eugene du Pont III. She was raised at

Owl's Nest Owl's Nest, also known as the Edward Eggleston Estate, is a historic estate property located on the shore of Lake George (lake), New York, Lake George in Queensbury, New York. Developed in the 1870s and 1880s, it was the home of Edward Egglest ...

, the family's estate in

Greenville, Delaware Greenville is a bedroom community in New Castle County, Delaware, United States, and a suburb of Wilmington. The population was 2,326 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Greenville as a censu ...

, attended Misses Hebb's School in Wilmington and graduated from the Ethel Walker School in

Simsbury, Connecticut Simsbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, incorporated as Connecticut's 21st town in May 1670. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 24,517 in the 2020 census. History Early history At ...

Personal life

On June 30, 1937, she married Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. (1914–1988), third son of sitting President

and First Lady Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, and grand-nephew of President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

. They had two sons: * Franklin Delano Roosevelt III (born 1938) *Christopher du Pont Roosevelt (born 1941) The couple separated and formally divorced in 1949. In December 1950, Ethel du Pont Roosevelt married prominent

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

lawyer Benjamin S. Warren, Jr. Together, they had a son: *Benjamin S. Warren III (born 1954)

Death

Ethel du Pont was 49 years old when she died by suicide on May 25, 1965. She had been under psychiatric care several times in the years preceding her death and spent time at the Silver Hill Foundation, a hospital in

New Canaan, Connecticut New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region. About an hour from New York City by train, the town ...

. Her death took place a few months before her son Christopher's wedding in June 1965, while she and her husband were separated, and while her son, Benjamin, then 10 years old, was away at boarding school. Afterward, her family endowed the

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

Ethel Dupont-Warren Fellowship Award for research in

Psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental disorder, mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, Mood (psychology), mood, emotion, and behavior. ...

. As of 2023, the fellowship continues to support the salary of 3 to 4 young research psychiatrists per year.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Du Pont, Ethel 1916 births 1965 deaths 20th-century American women American socialites Bulloch family Delano family Ethel Livingston family Roosevelt family People from Greenville, Delaware Suicides in Michigan 1965 suicides