Alexis Felix du Pont Sr. (April 14, 1879 – June 29, 1948) was a member of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

du Pont family The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). It has been one of the richest families in the United States since the mid-19th century, when it founded its fo ...

who served as a vice president and director of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. and a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

who helped found St. Andrew's School in

Middletown, Delaware Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871. Geography and climate Middletown is located at (39.4495560, –75.7163207) with an elevation of . According t ...

Biography

He was born on April 14, 1879, to

Francis Gurney du Pont Francis Gurney du Pont (May 27, 1850 – November 7, 1904) was an American businessman and chemist who served as a vice president of E. I. du Pont de Nemours Company and invented smokeless gunpowder with the assistance of cousin Pierre S. du ...

and Elise Wigfall Simons. He graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1901. He started work at E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. in 1900 and was made director in 1915 and vice president in 1919. Felix du Pont died on June 29, 1948, in

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Rehoboth Beach ( ) is a city on the Atlantic Ocean along the Delaware Beaches in eastern Sussex County, Delaware. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 1,327, reflecting a decline of 161 (11.2%) from the 1,488 counted in the 2000 ce ...

. He was buried in Old Saint Anne's Church Cemetery in

Marriage

In 1902, he married Mary R. Chichester. She was the daughter of

Washington Bowie Chichester Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

Leesburg, Virginia Leesburg is a town in the state of Virginia, and the county seat of Loudoun County. Settlement in the area began around 1740, which is named for the Lee family, early leaders of the town and ancestors of Robert E. Lee. Located in the far northea ...

. On September 3, 1937, they divorced in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

. Later that same day he married Ann Marvel of

. She was the daughter of Judge David Marvel of the Superior Court in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

Legacy

His son,

Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr. Alexis Felix du Pont Jr. (October 2, 1905 – December 30, 1996) was an American aviation pioneer, soldier, philanthropist, and a member of the prominent du Pont family. Biography Known as Felix, he was born in Wilmington, Delaware on October ...

, co-founded the

All American Aviation Company All American Aviation was an airline company founded by Lytle Schooler Adams in 1937. It evolved over the decades to become Allegheny Airlines, then USAir and subsequently US Airways, with the latter's merger with American Airlines in 2013 crea ...

, predecessor of US Airways Group, Inc., which merged with

AMR Corporation AMR Corporation was an airline holding company based in Fort Worth, Texas, which was the parent company of American Airlines, American Eagle Airlines, AmericanConnection and Executive Airlines. AMR filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protecti ...

in 2013 to form the world's largest airline. In 1897, A. Felix du Pont, Sr. co-founded

The University of Pennsylvania Band The University of Pennsylvania Band (commonly known as the Penn Band, or its vaudeville-esque performance name The Huge, the Enormous, the Well-Endowed, Undefeated, Ivy-League Champion, University of Pennsylvania Oxymoronic Fighting Quaker Marchin ...

.Images of America: The University of Pennsylvania Band. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2006. Page 11.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Du Pont Sr., Alexis Felix 1879 births 1948 deaths Businesspeople from Delaware American philanthropists Alexis Felix University of Pennsylvania alumni Delaware Democrats People from Wilmington, Delaware People from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware