Eugène du Pont (November 16, 1840 – January 28, 1902) was an American businessman who served as the first head of the modern-day

DuPont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

corporation.

Life and education

Du Pont was born on November 16, 1840, at Hagley House in New Castle County,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, son of Alexis Irénée du Pont and grandson of

founder

Éleuthère Irénée du Pont Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours ( , ; 24 June 1771 – 31 October 1834) was a French-American chemist and industrialist who founded the gunpowder manufacturer E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. His descendants, the du Pont family, ha ...

(1771–1834). His brothers were Alexis Irénée du Pont Jr. and Francis Gurney du Pont. Eugène was the first head of the modern DuPont corporation, seeing the corporation into the 20th century. Eugène graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 1861 with a bachelor of arts degree.

Career

After he graduated from Penn in 1861, he became an assistant to his older cousin, Lammot du Pont (1831–1884), at the Brandywine Mills laboratory and by 1886, filed two patent applications for a gunpowder press and new variety of powder, brown prismatic. He became junior partner in 1864. He succeeded his uncle, Henry du Pont (1812–1889), as senior partner in 1889. As senior partner, du Pont saw the completion of a new office in Wilmington and the new invention called the telephone. He also saw the rise of the dynamite industry and helped form the Eastern Dynamite Company in 1895. 1912, the Eastern Dynamite Company formally merged with DuPont. After du Pont's death, the company was brought under control by three of his nephews, Alfred I. du Pont, T. Coleman du Pont and Pierre S. du Pont.

Personal life

Eugène married Amélia Elizabeth du Pont, who was also born a du Pont as the daughter of Charles I. du Pont (1797–1869), nephew of Éleuthère Irénée. Together they had had: *Anne Ridgely du Pont (1867–1944) *Alexis Irénée du Pont III (1869–1921) *Mary Van Dyke du Pont (1871–1871) *Eugène Irénée du Pont Jr. (1873–1956) * Amy Elizabeth du Pont (1875–1962), who did not marry. *Julia Sophia du Pont Eugène du Pont died at his home in Christiana Hundred near Wilmington, Delaware on January 28, 1902.

Descendants

His daughter Amy Elizabeth du Pont was a prominent benefactor of the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

. His granddaughter, Ethel du Pont (1916–1965), was the first wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. (1914-1988).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:du Pont, Eugene du Pont, Eugene du Pont, Eugene Eugene du Pont Du Pont, Eugene Eugène du Pont 19th-century American businesspeople