Francis Gurney du Pont (1850-1904) was the youngest son of Alexis I. du Pont (1816-1857) and Joanna Smith du Pont (1815-1876), and grandson of Éleuthère Irénée "E.I." du Pont (1771-1834), founder of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company.

Du Pont graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1870. The following year, he began his career with E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. as an operator of graining mills. In 1874, he became a junior partner of the firm and later served in the highly important capacity of general manager, and as vice president, until 1902. That year, even with the death of Eugene du Pont (1840-1902), du Pont declined the presidency of the firm due to ill health. He wanted to sell the company to competitor Laflin & Rand. He mistrusted the modern business practices that he believed the younger generation would implement at the DuPont Company. He lost control of the company to cousins Alfred I. du Pont (1864-1935), T. Coleman du Pont (1863-1930), and Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954).

In 1888, du Pont supervised the building of the blasting powder mills at Mooar, Iowa. At Carney's Point, New Jersey, he superintended the plant which produced smokeless powder. In 1893, he and Pierre S. du Pont patented their solvent recovery process for the manufacture of smokeless shotgun powder.

Aside from his abilities as a chemist, du Pont was interested in astronomy and in the improvement of telescopes.

In 1871, du Pont married Elise Wigfall Simons (1849-1919). The couple had ten children: Francis Irenee (1873-1942), Eleanor (1875-1934), Irene Sophie (1877-1961), Alexis Felix (1879-1948), Ernest (1880-1944), Lionel (1882-1882), Theodore (1884-1911), Reginald (1885-1885), E. Paul (1887-1950), and Archibald (1889-1942). Du Pont died November 7, 1904, in Wilmington, Delaware.