John K. Jenney oral history transcript
Creation: 1975Abstract
John K. Jenney (1904-2005) was the director of the Foreign Relations Department at DuPont Company. In the oral history, Jenney reminiscences on his early life in Syracuse, New York; his time at Princeton University; and his career with the DuPont Company, dating from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Dates
- Creation: 1975
Extent
2 item(s)
Biographical Note
John K. Jenney (1904-2005) was the director of the Foreign Relations Department at DuPont Company. He was born September 8, 1904, in Syracuse, New York, to Alexander Jenney (1873-1914) and Caroline King Jenney (1879-1957). He graduated from Princeton University in 1925.
Following graduation, Jenney joined DuPont's forecast and analysis division of the treasurer's department. In 1927, he was named secretary of the foreign relations committee and three years later became assistant director of the company's Foreign Relations Department. In 1954, he assumed the director position of the department, following the retirement of Wendell R. Swint. By 1960, Jenney had been appointed assistant to the general manager and a member of the boards of directors of Du Pont of Canada Ltd. and several other foreign subsidiary companies.
In 1929, Jenney married Louisa d'Andelot Carpenter (1907-1976). The couple later divorced in 1935. In 1938, he married Anne Marshall West (1910-1978).
Jenney was a director of the National Foreign Trade council Inc., a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, trustee of Tower Hill School, president of the Delaware Art Museum.
He died September 6, 2005, just before his 102nd birthday.
Scope and Contents
Transcript from an oral history conducted with John K. Jenney (1904-2005). In it, Jenney reminiscences on his early life in Syracuse, New York; his time at Princeton University; and his career with the DuPont Company, dating from the 1920s to the 1960s, and includes a discussion of research emphases, including the development of synthetic rubber, du Pont family, formation of DuPont Foreign Relations Department, and American and European chemical industry in the 1920s. The typescript includes notes added by Jenney, an index of persons, and a copy of the original, which is held at Columbia University's Oral History Research Office.
Location of Originals
Originals maintained at Columbia Center for Oral History, Columbia University, New York.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Literary rights are retained by the heirs or assigns of the interviewee. Reproductions not permitted.
Language of Materials
English
Subjects
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- John K. Jenney oral history transcript
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2021: Ashley Williams
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
