Eleuthère Irénée du Pont

Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours
Founder E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
Born	24 June 1771(1771-06-24) Paris, France
Died	31 October 1834(1834-10-31) (aged 63) Greenville, Delaware
Residence	Eleutherian Mills, Greenville, Delaware
Spouse	Sophie Madeleine Dalmas
Children	Victorine Elizabeth du Pont Lucille du Pont Evelina Gabrielle du Pont Alfred V. du Pont Eleuthera du Pont Sophie Madeleine du Pont Henry du Pont Alexis Irénée du Pont
Parents	Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours Nicole Charlotte Marie Louise Le Dée de Rencourt
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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.

Early life and family

Du Pont was born 24 June 1771, in Paris, 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.

His career in France

Du Pont worked for Antoine Lavoisier at the Arsenal in Paris. It was from Lavoisier that he gained his expertise in nitrate extraction and manufacture.^[1] He also worked at a gunpowder mill in Essones and managed a saltpetre refinery.^[2] 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 émigrés.

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 Tousard, 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.^[2]

His death and his legacy

Du Pont died on 31 October 1834, at Eleutherian Mills, 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.^[2]

New title new company

President of Du Pont 1802 – 31 October 1834

Succeeded by Alfred V. du Pont

See also

• Hagley Museum and Library

References

1. ^ [1] Wisniak, J. 2000. The History of Saltpeter Production with a Bit of Pyrotechnics and Lavoisier. Chem. Educator 5:205-209.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Brown, G.I. (1998) The Big Bang: A history of Explosives Sutton Publishing pp.27–34 ISBN 0-7509-1878-0

• du Pont, Pierre S. (1942). Genealogy of the Du Pont Family 1739-1942. Wilmington: Hambleton Printing & Publishing. 
• Dutton, William S. (1942). Du Pont, One Hundred and Fifty Years. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 

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]

Persondata
Name	Dupont, Eleuthere Irenee
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	24 June 1771
Place of birth	Paris, France
Date of death	31 October 1834
Place of death	Greenville, Delaware