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 Finnish smokeless powderSmokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to gunpowder ("black powder"). The combustion products are mainly gaseous, compared to a ...

with the assistance of cousin

Pierre S. du Pont Pierre Samuel du Pont (; January 15, 1870 – April 4, 1954) was an American entrepreneur, businessman, philanthropist and member of the prominent du Pont family. He was president of DuPont from 1915 to 1919, and served on its board of director ...

. A member of the

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 ...

, Francis had ten children, including E. Paul du Pont, founder of

Du Pont Motors Du Pont Motors was founded by E. Paul du Pont to produce marine engines for the Allied nations during World War I. After the war, Du Pont Motors produced extremely high-end automobiles. The cars were manufactured in Wilmington, Delaware. E. ...

Biography

Francis du Pont was the youngest son of

Alexis Irénée du Pont Alexis Irénée du Pont (February 14, 1816 – August 23, 1857) was an American business executive who ran the Eleutherian Mills gunpowder factory in Delaware. He was fatally injured along with five of his employees in an accidental explosion at ...

and a grandson of

Éleuthère Irénée du Pont Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours (; ; 24 June 1771 – 31 October 1834) was a French-American chemist and industrialist who founded the gunpowder manufacturer E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. His descendants, the du Pont family, have ...

. Born in

New Castle County, Delaware New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

, he received a bachelor's degree in chemistry 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 1870. Joining the du Pont de Nemours Company as partner in 1873, Francis du Pont ran the Upper and Lower Hagley Yards and rose to become one of three vice presidents of the firm. In 1893, he and Pierre S. du Pont patented a solvent recovery process for the production of smokeless gunpowder. He ran the plant at

Carney's Point, New Jersey Carneys Point Township is a township in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 8,049, reflecting an increase of 365 (+4.8%) from the 7,684 counted in the 2000 Census, which ha ...

, that made smokeless powder. On the death of his older brother and company president

Eugène du Pont Eugène du Pont (November 16, 1840 – January 28, 1902) was an American businessman who served as the first head of the modern-day DuPont corporation. Life and education Du Pont was born on November 16, 1840 at Hagley House in New Castle Co ...

in 1902, Francis du Pont wanted to sell the firm to competitor Laflin & Rand. He distrusted modern business practices that he feared the younger generation would implement at the firm. He lost control to the company to cousins

Alfred I. du Pont Alfred Irénée du Pont (May 12, 1864 – April 28, 1935) was an American industrialist, financier, philanthropist and a member of the influential Du Pont family. Alfred du Pont first rose to prominence through his work in his family's Delaware ...

, T. Coleman du Pont, and

in 1902. In 1871, du Pont married Elise Wigfall Simons (1849–1919). The couple had ten children. He died in 1904 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 ...

, at the age of 54.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Du Pont, Francis Gurney Du Pont, Francis Gurney Du Pont, Francis Gurney Francis Gurney People from New Castle County, Delaware University of Pennsylvania alumni 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American chemists 19th-century American inventors