Du Pont, Pete (Pierre Samuel du
Pont IV), 1935-2021, Wilmington, Del, Princeton Univ. (Mech. Engr., 1956);
Harvard Law School (J.D., 1963). Du Pont was a scion of the Du Pont family,
owners of the noted chemical company. Educated in engineering, du Pont was
groomed for a position in the family business. After completing college, he
served in the Naval Reserve (1957-60) before entering Harvard Law. He then
joined the family chemical company (1963-70), but soon began dabbling in
politics. He first successfully ran for the Delaware House of
Representatives in 1968, and then in 1970 was elected to Congress, serving
three terms. In 1976, he was elected governor of the state; he served two
terms, helping to eliminate its deficit and attract business to the state.
In 1988, he ran for the Republican nomination for president, but quickly
dropped out after poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire. After retiring
from politics, du Pont worked for conservative think tanks, practiced law,
and wrote a regular opinion column for the Wall Street
Journal.
See R.A. Martin, History of Delaware through Its Governors
(1984); W.W. Boyer, Governing Delaware (2000).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies
