Irénée du Pont I (December 21, 1876 – December 19, 1963) was an American businessman, president of the DuPont company, and head of the Du Pont trust.

Early life and education

Irénée du Pont I was born on December 21, 1876, in New Castle, Delaware, the son of Mary Belin and Lammot du Pont I, and a descendant of DuPont founder Éleuthère Irénée du Pont.

He graduated from the William Penn Charter School in 1892 before attending Phillips Academy for a year, graduating in 1894, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1897. He received his master's degree in chemical engineering from MIT a year after graduation. While at MIT, he was a member of the Phi Beta Epsilon fraternity.

Career

He worked for Fenn's Manufacturing Contracting Company for a number of years before he joined DuPont in 1903. du Pont first worked in the organization of a construction division in black powder, then worked as assistant treasurer, assistant to the general manager and manager of the developmental department. By the start of World War I he was the vice president, and he was named the chairman of the executive committee a year later. In the 1920s and 1930s, the DuPont company also supported the rearmament of Nazi Germany and worked with IG Farben. He was also an Eugenicist and supporter of Adolf Hitler.

He died on December 19, 1963, in Wilmington, Delaware.

References

  • The Sophie du Pont May papers at Hagley Museum and Library contain a series of correspondence between Irénée du Pont and his older sister, Louisa d'Andelot du Pont Copeland. Sophie du Pont May was Irénée du Pont's daughter.