Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-08-08
FOURTH EDITION.
HENRY DuPoNT.
He Breathes His Life Quietly Away mt
z O'clock This Morning-A Personal
Sketch Of His Life

and honored head OF the X. |. DuPon
DeNemours Il Company powder manu-
iacturers on the BrAndywine, died at BIZ
residence this morning about z o'clock
Owing TO his prolonged illness, from
which he made partial rally, his destt
was Lot unexpected, but the news Of il
will cause the most poignant grie
among q large circle of relatives, &C
quaiDtances and friends. General Du
Font was o model man. Wealthy, bu
no one would ever know from his III,
and actions, kindliuess was nat ural t.
him, and his beneyolences, the umbeI
OF which cannot be told-they are SO nu
merous by hundreds OF widows aud or.
rhan children and aged men retired
from active life.
Henry DUPONT was born Augu I 8,
1912, in the house near WILMINGTON,
Delaware, where he ended his long and
useful career. He was the second son oil
Elsuthere Irenee DaPonu de Nemours
the distinguished Nreuchman who landed
In this country in 1890, a fugitive from
Jacobin prosecution, and founded the
powder works On the Brandyw.ne, which
are a lasting monument to the name oil
DdPont. He was intended for the army
and sent, at IL years OF age, to Constan q
famous military school at Mount Airey,
Germantown, Penna,, then under the
direction OF the accomplished French
teacher and tactician, Col. Roumfori.
Here he remained six years, and at IL
was sent to West Point. He graduated
Ia 1888 AID was breyeted second lieu
tenant OF the fourth United States artll-
lery, with orders TO report Mt Fort Mon
roe, Va. During the following autumn
lie went with his command to the Greek
ltdian Reservation, in Alabama. where
he spent the TALL and winter at Fort
Mitchell in frontIerservlce. He resigned
his commission. at the request OF his
father, In 1884, and returned to vii.
mington to assist the latter and his older
brother, Alfred Victor, in the manu'a,-
ture OF gunpowder. His fathers death
TOUR and halt months later (Eleuthere
!. DUPONT died suidenly Of cholera In
Philadelphia, on October 81, 1854, }
made his connection with the iirm CON
tinuous and important. He was mar
led July Is. 1887, to Louisa Gerhard, a
daughter OF William Gerhard q retired
Philadelphia merchant.
At the death of their founder tho pow
der works on the Brandy sine were the
most extensive In the country, a distlpc-
ton VIII CHI they enjoy to-day. Henry Du-
Font 81 umed large share OF the re
sponsibiliiy OF this enterprise uron the
death OF his father, and 10 1850, owing
to the ill-health OF bis older brother, he
assumed the chief direction. Prom that
year cntil the present his was the direct
Ing and decisive mind These works,
VIII CHI al the lime of the second war with
Great Br tain were the sole source OF
for the American armies, had
\ capacity OF 1000 pounds n day. Al
present they put forth daily more than
twenty times that amount. In addition
10 the three sets of mills which arc busy
NJ this point day and light, nine smaller
mile situate n Pcnnsy lvania, have been
developed during the last forty years,
The product Of the BraDdywine mills has
been an important factor in every Ameri-
can war since the revolution, and like
wise In several European conflicts. Iu
1872 troops were stationed a. Whining
lou to protect the only supply Of gun
powder In the country. In the Mexican
war the government sgRin looked to the
Dnfonts ior ihtir ItwGer, and Il few
years later larse cargoes of Erandywine
POWDER wire shipped for the use Of the
allies In the Grim a, and during the
great struggle of the civil war resident
Lincoln never lost sight OF the DuPonts,
and at the r, quest OF the Il deral authorl-
Ties The company sent one OF its mem
hers TO Europe to make purchases for the
Union my. In the later enter
prises of the tirm the subject of this sketch
was the dominant spirit. Enterprise,
courage, fair dealing and liberality were
II g characteristics Of his business life.
The firm was kept abreast of the powder
manufacturing OF the wcrli. Its director
was equal to every hazardous demand OF
Ills business, and no man, perhaps ever
accomplished more Tor himself and his
associAhs with less business exaction.
His debtors as well as his creditors were
always glad to see nenry DUPONT" says
one of his lifelong friends. "IIe was O
gentleman oil the old school, and whether
in his Office or in his drawing room h,
was uniformly urbane and cordial. He
ATTENDED serupulously day by day to the
smallest detail of his vast business, and
thus he came In contact with great
macy and with all kinds and classes o
per.ons, and ali bear testimony to hi
gentle and engaging manner, his unfail.
ing consi !eration and his hearty sin
certify.
Henry DUPONT took great delight IL
agriculture. lie possessed about 2,00t
acres OF the finest land Ia New Castl,
county, and Il. !. DUPONT DeNemours &
Company own as much more. Fol
miles along the Brandywine on eithe
side are well cultivated fields handsomel,
fenced, which for many years have beef
the pride and pleasure of the deceased
llis personal fortune was largely in
vested In these farms, and he expeDd.t
thousands of dollars in improving ant
cnrching them
His efforts were largely experimental
and were in this manner great benen
to the community. AS an example O
bis skill in farming is given the fact tina
three or four years ago his hundreds O
acres of wheat yielded from thirty t.
sixty bushels per acre, whila the yaiict,
OF wheat embraced almost every kim
suitable to TIL, latitude. During H.,
later years OF his life almost his soil
recreation has coEsis ed in driving owe
his vast estate, looking at his crops an,
his stock, an picking out pol. is foI i'm
proTement Il. soil ard plant, In fence aut
tuilding.
He was Republican in politics ana il
years and honurs was the foremos. ma,
of his party in the State. His last poltI
cal act was tie serve as one of tie tire
presidential electors for d laware, a,
honor which had been conferred flg
times upon him. He was an elector Il
1868, 1876, 1889, 1884 and 1888. 1t Is
remarkable eoncile:.ce that he was no
an elec.or In 1872. Il q only time that tn
Republicans carried the State for tn
presidential ticket, He had no taste o
ambition Tor political lie, and repealed
~ declined oilers Of nomination or az
pointment In the good cd Wing day
when he belonged to the dominant part
In Delaware. lie WAS, however, an In
spector OF elections for his party on
number Of occasions. He lived with
profound faith in the American system