Skip to main content
Notice: The Library is open for research by appointment only, please visit our research services page for more information.

Chemical industry

 Subject
Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings

Found in 86 Collections and/or Records:

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Office of the President records

 Collection
Accession: 1662
Abstract:

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly known as the DuPont Company. It was established in 1802 and began by manufacturing gunpowder, later moving into chemical compounds. During the 1920s and 1930s, under the leadership of Irénée du Pont (1876-1963), president from 1919 to 1926, and Lammot du Pont (1880-1952), president from 1926 to 1940, the company became the world's leading chemical manufacturer producing smokeless powder, dynamite, dyes, cellophane, textile fibers, and artificial rubber. The records primarily document the presidency of Lammot du Pont, with some fragmentary records from the Irénée du Pont period.

Dates: 1909-1952; Majority of material found within 1914-1948

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company organization charts

 Collection
Accession: 2101
Abstract:

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont company. The company was established in 1802 by Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) and his son Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834) for the production of gunpowder. The organization charts show the evolution of DuPont's corporate structure, including the period 1919 to 1921, when the decentralized, multi-divisional form was adopted, and the diversification and restructuring of the 1980s. As the charts also show the names of company officials above supervisory rank, they may also be used to follow individual career paths.

Dates: 1915-1992

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Pontchartrain Works records

 Collection
Accession: 2665
Abstract:

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company's Pontchartrain Works in LaPlace, Louisiana, was a major producer of Neoprene and other elastomers in the latter half of the twentieth century. The records consist of manuals, technical reports, brochures, bulletins, and other material from Du Pont's Louisville Works, Montague Works, and its Maydown Works located in the United Kingdom. Most documents were created by the company's Elastomer Chemicals Department and deal with the manufacture of various synthetic rubbers in the 1950s and 1960s.

Dates: 1946-1997

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Public Affairs Department records

 Collection
Accession: 1410
Abstract:

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. The Public Affairs Department began as the Publicity Bureau in 1916, to deal with issues raised by the great increase of business spawned by World War I. Prior to this time, publicity had been handled by the Advertising Division, created in 1911. The Public Affairs Department records contain biographical sketches of deceased officers, employees, and du Pont family members, as well as histories of company plants, predecessor companies, and all line and staff departments. The alphabetical history file contains press releases, memoranda, and pamphlets that were assembled for various public relations campaigns.

Dates: 1912-1983

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, R. & H. Chemicals Department records

 Collection
Accession: 2624
Abstract:

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company’s R. & H. Chemicals Department manufactured and sold peroxides, cyanide of sodium, formaldehyde, trychloretheline, tin oxide, and polyvinyl alcohol. The department was formed in 1933 as a result of the 1930 acquisition of the Roessler & Hasslacher Chemical Company, which operated a plant in Niagara Falls, New York. The records primarily consist of reports on experimentations with various insecticides, pesticides, preservatives, and other forms of pest and disease-control applied to the farming and agricultural industries.

Dates: 1922-1937

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Real Estate Division files

 Collection
Accession: 2542
Abstract:

The E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company commonly known as the DuPont Company. It was established in 1802 and began by manufacturing gunpowder; later it produced chemical compounds. The Real Estate Division was responsible for investigating locations and the acquisition of major facilities throughout the United States. Henry H. Gunther (1919-1960), was a real estate specialist with the DuPont Company. This small collection consists of Gunther's files on acquiring plant sites.

Dates: 1953-1958

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company twentieth century records

 Collection
Accession: 0500-II
Abstract:

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (alternatively referred to as the DuPont Company, or simply DuPont) was reincorporated on February 26, 1902, as successor to the partnership Eleuthère Irénée "E.I." du Pont (1771-1834) and his father Pierre Samuel "P.S." du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) had organized in 1801 for the purpose of manufacturing gunpowder in the United States. During the twentieth century, the company diversified beyond gunpowder and explosives into the broader chemicals industry. The twentieth-century records (dating up to 1972) of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. document the transformation of the company into a modern, centrally administered industrial giant. The collection, however, is not comprehensive for the period, and any company collections received after 1972 were accessioned and processed separately by Hagley Museum and Library.

Dates: 1756-1975; Majority of material found within 1902-1962

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company web archives

 Collection
Accession: WA-2014-005
Abstract:

In the twenty-first century, the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, better known as the DuPont Company focused on science with a diverse set of interests and products. It operates in more than ninty countries with corporate headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, and employs more than 60,000 people worldwide, including 10,000 scientists and engineers. This is a collection of websites owned by or affiliated with the DuPont Company, between 2011 and present. Complete web archive is available at https://archive-it.org/collections/2606.

Dates: 2011-2020

Ellis Leroy Hawk, Jr. polypropylene plant construction scrapbook and travel memoir

 Collection
Accession: 2015-284
Abstract:

Ellis Leroy "Lee" Hawk, Jr. (1926-2012) was a chemical engineer with Hercules Inc., and later the engineering director at Himont. He was involved in establishing polypropylene plants all over the world during the 1950s through the 1980s. This small collection consists of a scrapbook of photographs showing plant construction and a travel memoir written by Hawk about his career in the chemical industry. The memoir provides context for the scrapbook and an interesting portrait of an American businessman during the early stages of globalization.

Dates: circa 1990; 2005

Emile F. du Pont papers

 Collection
Accession: 2252
Abstract:

Emile F. du Pont (1898-1974) was director of the Employee Relations Department for DuPont Company beginning in 1945. His papers largely consist of speeches he gave, most of which were given to DuPont employees, on the history of the company. There are also files related to his role in the National Safety Council and production of "The Du Pont Story" film.

Dates: 1946-1974

Eugene du Pont Jr. papers

 Collection
Accession: 2656
Abstract:

Eugene du Pont Jr. (1873-1954) was a director of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company from 1917 until 1954, and a great grandson of company founder, Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834). The papers of Eugene du Pont Jr. include reports to the DuPont Company Board of Directors by the executive committee and the treasurer of the DuPont Company. In addition, there are several copies of letters to du Pont family members.

Dates: 1811-1957

Eugene du Pont Jr. papers

 Collection
Accession: 1599
Abstract:

Eugene du Pont Jr. (1873-1954) was a director of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company from 1917 until 1954, and a great grandson of company founder, Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834). The collection contains the personal papers of Eugene du Pont, Jr., and the records of the Kinloch Gun Club, a private shooting club which he founded. It also contains a separate collection of correspondence between his brother Alfred I. du Pont, vice president and general manager of the DuPont Company, with his assistant Frank L. Connable, which is an important source for the history of the company in the early 1900s.

Dates: 1835-1956

Experimental Station Library collection

 Collection
Accession: 2380
Abstract:

The Textile Fibers Department of the DuPont Company was established in 1936 (known then as the Rayon Department) which specialized in researching and developing synthetic fibers for fabrics such as Rayon, Nylon, Teflon, Corian, and Kevlar. This collection consists of materials once housed in the library of the Experimental Station and culled after the sale of the textile fibers business. The collection has been arranged into six series: Vertical file; Translation logs; Miscellany; Project indexes; Publications; Speeches.

Dates: 1906-1998; Majority of material found within 1938-1993

Francis Gurney du Pont papers

 Collection
Accession: 0504
Abstract:

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. The papers of du Pont describe both his business activities at E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, his family life, and his activities in the Episcopal Church.

Dates: 1818-1911

Frederick G. Singer's DuPont Company, Tariff Division notebook

 Collection
Accession: 2501
Abstract:

Frederick G. Singer (1897-1971) was a manager for the Tariff Division of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company's Development Department, working out of the foreign office in Paris, France. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. This small collection consists mostly of organizational charts and lists of officers and products of the DuPont Company and the Grasselli Chemical Company, as well as the products of their competitors, between 1936 and 1937.

Dates: 1934-1945

Harry J. Haon family papers

 Collection
Accession: 2559
Abstract:

Harry J. Haon II (1901-1989) and his son Harry J. Haon III (1934-2013) were chemists and lifetime employees of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, and both came to specialize in sales and marketing. The Harry J. Haon family papers are a collection of correspondence, meeting notes/minutes, drawings/maps, journal articles, DuPont publications, papers expressing once classified information about DuPont products, as well as teaching materials for employees who were novice marketing managers, sales personnel and employees in leadership positions. The collection is composed of two series consisting of the papers of Harry J. Haon, II and Harry J. Haon, III. The careers in DuPont of both Haons are well documented.

Dates: 1882-2000

Henry Bower Chemical Manufacturing Company records

 Collection
Accession: 1032
Abstract:

Henry Bower Chemical Manufacturing Company was a chemical manufacturing company that primarily produced ammonia. The company was formed in 1906 by the merger of three existing companies. The records include account books, production records, sales records, and inventories.

Dates: 1854-1957

Henry Bower Chemical Manufacturing Compay records

 Collection
Accession: 1070
Abstract:

Henry Bower Chemical Manufacturing Company was a chemical manufacturing company that primarily produced ammonia. The company was formed in 1906 by the merger of three existing companies. These records include account books, production records, sales records, and inventories.

Dates: 1854-1957

Henry S. Rothrock collection of Experimental Station photographs

 Collection
Accession: 2012-211
Abstract:

Herny S. Rothrock (1906-1986) was a DuPont research chemist. In 1930, he joined the staff of the Experimental Station of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. He obtained fifty-six patents, chiefly in the field of polymer chemistry and served ten years at liaison manager in the Central Research Department, retiring in 1971. This collection consists primarily of photos relating to DuPont's Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware. There are group photos of new employees in the Central Research Department, committees and conferences and press release photos from the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Dates: circa 1920-1968

Historical miscellany from the DuPont Building

 Collection
Accession: 2664
Abstract:

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. The DuPont Building occupied an entire block bound by 10th, 11th, Orange and Market Streets and was one of the first high-rises in Wilmington, Delaware. Until early 2015 the building housed DuPont's headquarters. This small collection of files on DuPont Company history and biographies were removed from the company's downtown headquarters building prior to its move to the suburbs.

Dates: 1921-1980

Hounshell and Smith oral history transcripts

 Collection
Accession: 1878
Abstract:

Science and Corporate Strategy is a scholarly history of research and development at the DuPont Company authored by David A. Hounshell (1950-) and John Kenly Smith (1951-). As part of their research, Hounshell and Smith conducted sixty-one oral history interviews with forty-seven current and former chemical engineers involved in DuPont's R & D programs. The interviews constitute an exhaustive first-person account of DuPont's research programs with special emphasis on personalities and the organizational culture of the various DuPont research facilities.

Dates: 1981-1988

Howard Ensign Simmons, Jr. papers

 Collection
Accession: 2172
Abstract:

Howard Ensign Simmons Jr. (1929-1997) was an industrial scientist and the Research Vice-President in the Central Research Department of the DuPont Company from 1979 until his retirement in 1991. His records document Simmons's role in overseeing the production of "Science and Corporate Stategy" by David A. Hounshell and John K. Smith, a scholarly history of Research and Development at the DuPont Company. Also included are reports on DuPont's diversification program in the late 1960s.

Dates: 1857-1997; Majority of material found within 1960-1990

J. Crosby Brown collection of steamboat copy photographs

 Collection
Accession: 1994-212
Abstract:

James Crosby Brown, Jr., was born in Hartford, Conn., in 1929 and spent most of his life in Philadelphia, where he pursued a career in business. After retiring in 1981, he turned full-time to his life-long avocation of maritime history. This collection consists of copy photographs of steamboats, many on the Schuylkill River.

Dates: 1795-1930

Jackson Laboratory Library collection

 Collection
Accession: 2678
Abstract:

A collection of bulletins and reports from the library of DuPont's Jackson Laboratory. Most were generated by the Organic Chemicals Department, which operated Jackson Laboratory, but others come from other DuPont Departments and their laboratories.

Dates: 1931-1997; bulk 1944-1963

James Bailey collection of DuPont Company images and videos

 Collection
Accession: 2013-234
Abstract:

The DuPont Experimental Station is a large industrial research facility founded in 1903; focused on chemistry research. James Bailey was an employee at the DuPont Company for forty years. The materials in this small collection consist of photographs, videos and ephemera related to the DuPont Company.

Dates: 1977-2002

James R. Thomen collection of Experimental Station building and site photographs

 Collection
Accession: 2012-210
Abstract:

James R. Thomen (1926-) was manager of the Experimental Station from 1975 to 1985 when he retired. The DuPont Company's Experimental initially, was to be a small laboratory to screen inventions which were coming into the company from outside independent inventors specifically for research on black powder, smokeless powder, and dynamite, but soon its mission was altered and it became a large industrial research facility focused on innovative advancements in chemistry. This collection consists primarily of photographs of buildings at the Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware taken between 1910 and 1950.

Dates: circa 1900-1951

Lammot du Pont Copeland papers

 Collection
Accession: 1404
Abstract:

Lammot du Pont Copeland (1905-1983) held various roles at E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, culminating in his tenure as the company's president from 1961 to 1971 and chairman of the board from 1967 to 1971. The collection documents Copeland's years as President and Chairman of the Board. There is also limited material from his earlier roles as Secretary and Vice President. The papers reflect the company's strategy of international expansion during the 1960s, apparent in Copeland's voluminous correspondence with the International Department.

Dates: 1962-1971

"Las Maravillas de la quimica" film

 Collection
Accession: 2004-254
Abstract:

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company was established in 1802 by Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) and his son Eleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834). Throughout the 1900s and 1910s, the company shifted its focus away from gunpowder production and towards chemistry innovations. This item is the Spanish language version of "Wonder World of Chemistry" which shows chemical products produced by the DuPont Company.

Dates: 1936

Louis R. Wonderly papers

 Collection
Accession: 2844
Abstract:

Louis R. Wonderly (1931-) worked in the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Secretary's Department for thirty years. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. This small collection of Louis Wonderly's papers provides a glimpse into the secretary's work at the DuPont Company. It would be of interest to those researching the DuPont Company's upper-level management and operations from the 1920s through the 1970s.

Dates: 1907-1989

Office of Alien Property Custodian records

 Collection
Accession: 1906
Abstract:

The office of Alien Property Custodian was created by the Trading with the Enemy Act of October 6, 1917. According to the act, the right to seize enemy property was vested in the president, which was then delegated to the Alien Property Custodian. This collection consists of nine volumes, fifty-eight booklets, and foldouts concerning U.S. patents vested in the Alien Property Custodian (1943-1946). The materials specifically deal with mechanical and electrical patents, as well as chemical patents.

Dates: 1943-1946

Paul L. Bechly papers

 Collection
Accession: 2723
Abstract:

Paul L. Bechly worked in various positions for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company between 1980 and 1993, including research and development, engineering, distribution, sales, and product management. Bechly's papers document his efforts at developing and implementing a successful perfluorocarbon (PFC) policy for the DuPont Company in the early 1990s. The papers also reflect DuPont’s companywide initiative to be at the forefront of environmental policy with regard to the global reduction of PFC emissions.

Dates: 1965-2020; Majority of material found within 1980-2000

Philadelphia Quartz (PQ) Company records

 Collection
Accession: 1865
Abstract:

Founded in 1831 as the Elkinton Company and later renamed, Philadelphia Quartz Company became an important innovator during World War I by discovering that silica gels could be used as a base to manufacture catalysts for cracking crude oil molecules to make high-octane gasoline and developing potassium silicate which was adopted for use in cathode ray tubes. The company's records includes business records and the personal papers of the company's founding family.

Dates: 1733-1983; Majority of material found within 1831-1981

Robert E. Holeton papers

 Collection
Accession: 2763
Abstract:

Robert E. Holeton (1911-1962) was an organic chemist at the DuPont Company from 1933 to 1962. He was the District Manager of the Petroleum Chemicals Division from 1954 until his death. From 1947 to 1953, Holeton perfomed "Chemical Magic" shows with a colleague in which they would demonstrate the unusual chemical reactions that can occur in the laboratory. These demonstrations were intentended to promote industrial safety. This small collection of Holeton's papers provides insight into his career as an industrial chemist, and then later as a sales represenative and district manager of the Petroleum Chemical Division. The collection strengths are the documentation related to industrial safety and Holeton's work performing the "Chemical Magic" shows and his time working at the Petroleum Chemical Division. There is a small but interesting set of material related to the Woodstown Civil Defense Council.

Dates: 1933-1962

Wallace Hume Carothers papers

 Collection
Accession: 1896
Abstract:

Wallace Hume Carothers (1896-1937) was a chemist and inventor of Neoprene artificial rubber and Nylon synthetic fiber. He worked as a chemist in E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company's Fundamental Research Program from 1928 until his death in 1937. This small collection consists of Carothers' professional and technical correspondence, primarily with colleagues in the Chemistry Department at Iowa State University, Harvard, and the DuPont Company. The papers describe the DuPont Company's recruitment of Carothers and his work on polymerization, which led to the development of Nylon.

Dates: 1925-1936

Wharton School, Industrial Research Unit records

 Collection
Accession: 2296
Abstract:

The Industrial Research Unit of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania mission was to "study the economic and social problems of business." Herbert Roof Northrup (1918-2007) was chairman of the Department of Industry and director of the Industrial Research Unit. The records consist of surveys, notes, interviews and background materials for the studies produced by the Industrial Research Unit and its predecessor from 1941 to 1990 and collected and maintained by Northrup. The bulk of the files are from the 1970s and 1980s.

Dates: 1941-2001; Majority of material found within 1968-1988

William Porter Allen papers

 Collection
Accession: 1832
Abstract:

William P. Allen (1881-1941) worked at the DuPont Company as vice president and director as well as general manager of the Cellulose Products and Paint, Lacquer & Chemicals Department. The papers document his work from 1928 to 1930, including meeting minutes, merger papers, and employee relations.

Dates: 1928-1930