Henry du Pont (August 8, 1812 – August 8, 1889) was an American military officer and businessman from

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, and 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 ...

Early life and education

Du Pont was born at

Eleutherian Mills From 1802 to 1921, Eleutherian Mills was a gunpowder mill site used for the manufacture of explosives founded by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, which grew into the DuPont company. The name also refers to the house on the hill above the mills, whi ...

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 ...

, the second son 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 ...

and his wife, Sophie Madeleine Dalmas. E.I. du Pont was a French immigrant and gunpowder manufacturer who became the founder of

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

, a

chemical company The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals) into more than 70,000 different products. The pla ...

that is still in existence. Henry du Pont was educated at the American Classical and Military Academy in Germantown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from there in 1829 and enrolled at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

. Du Pont graduated from West Point in 1833 and was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Military and manufacturing careers

Du Pont's first assignment was to the Fourth Artillery Regiment, stationed in

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Soon after he arrived in Virginia, du Pont's regiment was ordered to

Fort Mitchell, Alabama Fort Mitchell is an unincorporated community in Russell County, Alabama, United States. The settlement developed around a garrisoned fort intended to provide defense for the area during the Creek War (1813–14). Fort Mitchell is about 10 miles ...

, a frontier posting on land occupied by the

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsAlfred Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

, and his brother-in-law,

Jacques Antoine Bidermann Jacques Antoine Bidermann (April 17, 1790 – June 8, 1865), also known as James Antoine Bidermann, was an American businessman of French and Swiss origins who became the business partner and son-in-law of Éleuthère Irénée du Pont. He married ...

, in managing the company. In 1837, he married Louisa Gerhard, with whom he would have nine children, including a son,

Henry A. du Pont Henry Algernon du Pont (July 30, 1838 – December 31, 1926) was an American military officer, businessman, and politician from Delaware. A member of the famed du Pont family, he graduated first in his class from West Point shortly after the ...

, the future United States Senator. In 1850, Alfred retired from the family business and Henry du Pont became the head of the firm, which by that time had been joined by his younger brother,

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 his nephew, Lammot. The outbreak of the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

in 1854 boosted the company's sales and, combined with chemical innovations by Lammot, led to increased growth and profitability. The start of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

created another market for gunpowder, but du Pont refused to sell to the nascent Confederacy. A member of the Whig Party, du Pont hoped for compromise as war approached, but once it began he became a strong supporter of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. Since 1846, du Pont had held the post of

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of Delaware; in May 1861, Governor William Burton promoted him to Major General and placed him in charge of all soldiers recruited in the state. Upon taking office, du Pont ordered every man of military age in Delaware to take an oath of allegiance to the United States, or else to surrender his weapons. Burton suspended the order, but du Pont convinced Major General

John Adams Dix John Adams Dix (July 24, 1798 – April 21, 1879) was an American politician and military officer who was Secretary of the Treasury, Governor of New York and Union major general during the Civil War. He was notable for arresting the pro-Southern ...

, commanding federal troops in Baltimore, to send some soldiers to Delaware to guard against rebellion there. Du Pont and Dix continued to guard against Confederate sympathizers into 1862, when soldiers under their command disarmed the Delaware Guard, a

private military company A private military company (PMC) or private military and security company (PMSC) is a private company providing armed combat or security services for financial gain. PMCs refer to their personnel as "security contractors" or "private military ...

suspected of disloyalty. One of the officers,

Thomas F. Bayard Thomas Francis Bayard (October 29, 1828 – September 28, 1898) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat from Wilmington, Delaware. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he served three terms as United States Senate, United States ...

, the son of Senator

James A. Bayard Jr. James Asheton Bayard Jr. (November 15, 1799 – June 13, 1880) was an American lawyer and politician from Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party and served as U.S. Senator from Delaware. Early life Bayard was born in Wilmington, ...

, refused to surrender his weapon and was placed under arrest. Bayard was released under parole, but protested his arrest to du Pont, who told Bayard that "if the elaware Guardhad comported themselves as loyal citizens there would have been no occasion for their arrest." Du Pont also continued his business activities during the Civil War, establishing new mills in California and buying supplies from Britain to meet the Union Army's demand for gunpowder. After the war, he continued to support the Republican Party, running as a Presidential elector in 1868, 1876, 1880, 1884, and 1888. The du Pont firm continued its growth after the war under his leadership, acquiring competitor firms and venturing into high explosives. Du Pont remained involved with the family business until his death in Wilmington on August 8, 1889, after a long illness.

Marriage and family

Portrait miniature of Louisa Gerhard du Pont (1816-1900)

Henry du Pont married Louisa Gerhard du Pont (1816–1900) and had eight children, including:Henry DuPont
''findagrave.com''. Retrieved January 23, 2017. * Henry Algernon du Pont (1838–1926) *Ellen Eugenia du Pont Irving (1843–1907) *Sara du Pont Duer (1847–1876) *Victorine Elizabeth du Pont Foster (1849–1934) *Sophie Madeleine du Pont Chandler (1851–1931), who married architect Theophilus P. Chandler Jr. * William du Pont (1855–1928)William du Pont papers
''findingaids.hagley.org''. Retrieved January 22, 2017. *Evelina du Pont (1840–1938)

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:du Pont, Henry 1812 births 1889 deaths Businesspeople from Wilmington, Delaware People of Delaware in the American Civil War United States Military Academy alumni

Henry du Pont Henry du Pont (August 8, 1812 – August 8, 1889) was an American military officer and businessman from Delaware, and a member of the Du Pont family. Early life and education Du Pont was born at Eleutherian Mills, Wilmington, Delaware, the s ...

Delaware Whigs 19th-century American politicians Delaware Republicans