William du Pont, Jr.
| William du Pont Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 11, 1896 Loseley Park, Surrey, England |
| Died |
December 31, 1965 (aged 69) Wilmington, Delaware, United States |
| Resting place | Du Pont de Nemours Cemetery |
| Residence | Bellevue Hall, Bellevue, Delaware |
| Occupation | Businessman, banker, racetrack owner, racehorse owner/breeder, racecourse designer |
| Board member of | Delaware Trust Company |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children |
with Jean
|
| Parent(s) | William du Pont & Annie Rogers |
| Relatives | Marion duPont Scott (sister) |
| Awards | Delaware Sports Hall of Fame (1979) |
William du Pont Jr. (February 11, 1896 – December 31, 1965) was an American businessman and banker and a prominent figure in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. He developed and designed more than 20 racing venues, including Fair Hill at his 5,000-acre estate in Maryland. A member of the Delaware Du Pont family, he was the son of William du Pont and Annie Rogers Zinn, and brother to Marion duPont Scott, a noted horsewoman and breeder.
William (also called Willie) was born at Loseley Park, a 16th-century manor in Surrey, England. He was the second child and only son of Annie Zinn (née Rogers) and William du Pont Sr. His older sister was Marion, and they grew up at Montpelier, the historic home of President James Madison, which their parents had bought and expanded.
They both were educated in private schools and became interested in the world of thoroughbred horseracing, including steeplechase, hunts, and horse shows. William specialized in thoroughbred racing and breeding. Marion also became known for her contributions to horseracing and breeding.
On January 1, 1919, William married Jean Liseter Austin. Their marriage celebration in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, was billed as the "Wedding of the Century" in media accounts because of the wealth of each family. Jean's father, William Liseter Austin, was a railroad baron at the Baldwin Locomotive Works. He gave the couple more than 600 acres (2.4 km2) of land as a wedding gift. William's father built Liseter Hall for them on the property in 1922. The three-story Georgian mansion was a replica of Montpelier, where du Pont had grown up.
William was elected to the board of directors of the Delaware Trust Company, where his father was president (and later chairman of the board), in 1921. His career with the bank would continue until his death. In 1928, William inherited the Bellevue Hall estate in Delaware upon the death of his father. The estate featured a Gothic Revival castle built in 1855, which du Pont had remodeled into another replica of his boyhood home of Montpelier. His father's death also created a vacancy in the presidency of the Delaware Trust Company, and William ascended to the position.
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