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Alfred Victor du Pont letters to William Kemble

Creation: 1849 June 9-1849 June 16
 Collection
Accession: 2230

Abstract

Alfred Victor du Pont (1798-1856) was the eldest son of E.I. du Pont (1771-1834) and a senior partner of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. The collection contains three letters he wrote to William Kemble (1795-1881), operator of the West Point Foundry and DuPont powder sales agent in New York City, about sales and shipments of gunpowder and credits.

Dates

  • Creation: 1849 June 9-1849 June 16

Creator

Extent

3 item(s)

Biographical Note

Alfred Victor du Pont (1798-1856), son of Sophie Madeleine Dalmas (1775-1828) and Eleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834), the founder of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. He was educated at Mt. Airy and Dickinson Colleges. He studied chemistry at Dickinson under Thomas Cooper (1759-1839), a disciple of Joseph Priestly (1733-1804).

In 1818, he joined the firm E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. after an explosion that killed thirty-three people. Upon the death of his father in 1834, he formed a new partnership with his brother-in-law, James Antoine Bidermann (1790-1865). In 1837, du Pont became the senior partner. He retired in 1850. He was primarily interested in developing methods for improving the manufacture of black powder. He worked with Ellwood Morris (1814-1872), a Philadelphia engineer, evaluating the efficiency of turbines at the DuPont mills.

In 1824, du Pont married Margaretaa Elizabeth Lammot (1807-1898). They resided at Nemours, a house built for them in 1824, near the home of his father. The couple had seven children: Victorine Elizabeth (1825-1887), Emma Paulina (1827-1914), Eleuthère Irénée (1829-1877), Lammot (1831-1884), Alfred Victor (1833-1893), Mary Sophie (1834-1870), and Antoine Biderman (1837-1923).

Scope and Contents

Three letters from Alfred Victor du Pont (1798-1856), the eldest son of E.I. du Pont (1771-1834) and then senior partner of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, to William Kemble (1795-1881), operator of the West Point Foundry and agent for DuPont powder sales in New York City. The letters concern sales and shipments of gunpowder and credits.

Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.

Language of Materials

English

Related Names

Subject

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
Alfred Victor du Pont letters to William Kemble
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

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400