Henry du Pont

Henry du Pont (August 8, 1812 – August 8, 1889) was an American soldier and businessman from Delaware, and a member of the Du Pont family.

Du Pont was born at Eleutherian Mills, Wilmington, Delaware, the second son of Éleuthère Irénée du Pont 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, a chemical company 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 in West Point, New York. Du Pont graduated from West Point in 1833 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army.

Du Pont's first assignment was to the Fourth Artillery Regiment, stationed in Fort Monroe, Virginia. Soon after he arrived in Virginia, du Pont's regiment was ordered to Fort Mitchell, Alabama, a frontier posting on land occupied by the Muscogee people. After a year of active duty, du Pont acceded to his father's wishes by resigning his commission and joining the family business. When his father died the following year, du Pont worked with his brother, Alfred, and his brother-in-law, James Antoine Bidermann, in managing the company. In 1837, he married Louisa Gerhard, with whom he would have nine children, including a son, Henry A. du Pont, 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, and his nephew, Lammot.

...
Wikipedia