Esther Driver du Pont, Lady Thouron (January 21, 1908 – March 24, 1984) was an American horse breeder and

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 created the

Thouron Award The Thouron Award is a prestigious postgraduate scholarship established in 1960 by Sir John R.H. Thouron, K.B.E., and Esther D. du Pont, Esther du Pont Thouron. It was created to strengthen the "special relationship" between the United States and th ...

with her husband, Sir John R.H. Thouron KBE.

Biography

Born 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 ...

, she was a member of the wealthy

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 ...

, one of eight children born to

Lammot du Pont II Lammot du Pont II (October 12, 1880 – July 24, 1952) was an American businessman who was the head of the du Pont family's E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company for 22 years. Early life He was born on October 12, 1880, in Wilmington, Delaware. H ...

and Natalie Driver Wilson. From 1928 to 1939, she was married to Campbell Weir. In 1953, she married for a second time to John Rupert Hunt Thouron, a native of

Cookham Cookham is a historic River Thames, Thames-side village and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the north-eastern edge of Berkshire, England, north-north-east of Maidenhead and opposite the village of Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, Bourne ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In 1960, they established the Thouron Scholars Program of student exchanges between 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 ...

and leading universities in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. In 1967, she received an

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

in Humane Letters from the University of Pennsylvania in recognition of her work.

Thoroughbred horse racing

Esther du Pont and her husband owned a large estate near

Unionville, Chester County, Pennsylvania Unionville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in East Marlborough Township in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was originally known as Jacksonville. The Unionville Village Historic District was a ...

they called "Doe Run." Like other du Pont family members such as William duPont, Jr.,

Allaire du Pont Allaire du Pont (May 4, 1913 – January 6, 2006) was an American sportswoman and a member of the prominent French-American Du Pont family of chemical manufacturers who is most remembered as the owner of the Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fam ...

Marion duPont Scott Marion duPont Scott (May 3, 1894 – September 4, 1983) was a thoroughbred horsebreeder who operated a racing stable for both flat and steeplechase racing. She was the last private owner of Montpelier, the mansion and land estate of former Unite ...

Jane du Pont Lunger Jane du Pont Lunger (June 20, 1914 - September 18, 2001) was an American heiress, philanthropist, and an owner/breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. A sixth-generation member of Delaware's prominent Du Pont family, her father, Philip Francis du Pon ...

, and

Alice du Pont Mills Alice Frances du Pont Mills (December 13, 1912 – March 13, 2002) was an American aviator, thoroughbred race horse breeder and owner, environmentalist, philanthropist and a member of the prominent du Pont family. Biography Born in Wilmington, D ...

, Esther du Pont too became a fan of

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

. She bred and raced a number of horses for both

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

and

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

events. In 1944, her horse

Burma Road The Burma Road () was a road linking Burma (now known as Myanmar) with southwest China. Its terminals were Kunming, Yunnan, and Lashio, Burma. It was built while Burma was a British colony to convey supplies to China during the Second Sino-J ...

won the most prestigious

race in the United States, the

American Grand National The Grand National Hurdle Stakes is an American National Steeplechase Association sanctioned steeplechase race run each fall at Far Hills, New Jersey. It is a Grade 1 event run over miles. It has been known by a variety of names over the years, i ...

and in

, her colt Royal Vale won the 1953

Massachusetts Handicap The Massachusetts Handicap, frequently referred to as the "MassCap", was a flat thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up held annually at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was an ungraded stakes race run o ...

. Esther du Pont Thouron helped build the clinic and hospital at the

University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, commonly referred to as Penn Vet was founded in 1884. It has two campuses; the main campus is located in Philadelphia, and a second campus is located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. A ...

New Bolton Center New Bolton Center is the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's 700 acre campus in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. It is home to one of the busiest large animal teaching veterinary clinics in the nation. Since 1958, it has been lo ...

. In 1966, her contribution to the industry was recognized by the

Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders. ...

who awarded her its Lady's Sportsmanship Award.

Death

Esther du Pont Thouron died at her winter home in Florida on March 24, 1984, at age 76.

References

External links

Thouron Award Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Du Pont, Esther D. 1908 births 1984 deaths American philanthropists American racehorse owners and breeders

Esther D. du Pont Esther Driver du Pont, Lady Thouron (January 21, 1908 – March 24, 1984) was an American horse breeder and philanthropist who created the Thouron Award with her husband, Sir John R.H. Thouron KBE. Biography Born in Wilmington, Delaware, she w ...