Alfred V. du Pont
Encyclopedia
Alfred Victor Philadelphe du Pont (April 11, 1798 – October 4, 1856) was an American
chemist
and industrialist, who was the eldest son and successor of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
, the founder of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.
, son of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
and Sophie Dalmas du Pont. He came to America
in 1800 as an infant and grew up around the gunpowder mills founded by his father on the Brandywine Creek in Delaware
. Later he attended Mount Airy College, in Germantown
, Pennsylvania
and then studied chemistry at Dickinson College
. While there he was President of Belles Lettres Literary Society and became a friend of one of his professors, Thomas Cooper
. He later became Cooper's assistant at the University of Pennsylvania
. Alfred du Pont married Margaretta Elizabeth Lamott in 1824 and they had seven children.
, Delaware
, and is buried in the Du Pont Cemetery near Greenville
.
His son, Alfred Victor du Pont, would become a founding father of Phi Kappa Sigma
, in 1850.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and industrialist, who was the eldest son and successor of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours , 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...
, the founder of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.
Early life and family
Du Pont was born in Paris, FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, son of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours , 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...
and Sophie Dalmas du Pont. He came to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1800 as an infant and grew up around the gunpowder mills founded by his father on the Brandywine Creek in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. Later he attended Mount Airy College, in Germantown
Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and then studied chemistry at Dickinson College
Dickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
. While there he was President of Belles Lettres Literary Society and became a friend of one of his professors, Thomas Cooper
Thomas Cooper (US politician)
Thomas Cooper was an Anglo-American economist, college president and political philosopher. Cooper was described by Thomas Jefferson as "one of the ablest men in America" and by John Adams as "a learned ingenious scientific and talented madcap." Dumas Malone stated that "modern scientific...
. He later became Cooper's assistant at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. Alfred du Pont married Margaretta Elizabeth Lamott in 1824 and they had seven children.
E.I. du Pont Company
In 1818, Du Pont returned home to help his father rebuild the gunpowder company after a disastrous explosion that killed 33 people and injured his mother. He worked closely with the men in the mills and was particularly interested in researching new gunpowder chemical developments. The laboratory was his home. However, after spending nearly 20 years as a "powderman," and after a reorganization of the partnership by James Antoine Bidermann, he became head of the company in 1837. It was a difficult role for him, and after leading the company through a recovery from a disastrous mill explosion in 1847, he retired in poor health in 1850.Death and legacy
Alfred du Pont died October 4, 1856 at Eleutherian Mills, near GreenvilleGreenville, Delaware
Greenville is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 2,326 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Greenville is located at ....
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, and is buried in the Du Pont Cemetery near Greenville
Greenville, Delaware
Greenville is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 2,326 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Greenville is located at ....
.
His son, Alfred Victor du Pont, would become a founding father of Phi Kappa Sigma
Phi Kappa Sigma
Phi Kappa Sigma is an international all-male college social fraternity. Its members are known as "Phi Kaps", "Skulls" and sometimes "Skullhouse", the latter two because of the skull and crossbones on the Fraternity's badge and coat of arms. Phi Kappa Sigma was founded by Dr. Samuel Brown Wylie...
, in 1850.
See also
- Du Pont familyDu Pont familyThe Du Pont family is an American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours . The son of a Paris watchmaker and a member of a Burgundian noble family, he and his sons, Victor Marie du Pont and Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, emigrated to the United States in 1800 and used the resources of...
for other family members and relationships. - Hagley Museum and LibraryHagley Museum and LibraryThe Hagley Museum and Library is a nonprofit educational institution located in Wilmington, Delaware. Hagley Museum and Library collects, preserves and interprets the history of American enterprise.- Hagley Library :...
External links
- DuPont Company. Alfred V. du Pont
- Dickinson College. Alfred Victor du Pont