Eleuthere Irenee Du Pont Biography

Manufacturer, businessman. Born on June 24, 1771, in Paris, France. E. I. du Pont was the founder of what is now known as DuPont, one of the world’s largest chemical and industrial companies. His father, Pierre Samuel du Pont, was a watchmaker by trade as well as an economist, publisher, and government official. Interested in explosives, he studied with chemist Antoine Lavoisier for a time.

After the French Revolution, du Pont fled to the United States and sought to build on his explosives expertise. He started a powder mill on the Brandywine River in Delaware in 1802, which proved to be first of many for this skilled manufacturer. Wanting to make the best powder possible, du Pont was vigilant about the quality of the materials he used. The business really took off with supply orders from the U.S. government for the troops fighting in the War of 1812.

For 32 years, du Pont served as president of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. His later life was marked by sadness after the death of his wife Sophie in 1828. He died of heart failure on October 31, 1834. The business he built was passed down to his descendents who continued to grow it into one of the U.S. best-known companies. 

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