The Du Pont Dynasty #557: Jacqueline Thompson Papers

Published December 30, 2025 at 6:00 AM MST

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Diagram of the Du Pont family tree, taken from Forbes magazine, March 17, 1980. Box 3, Jacqueline Thompson papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Photograph of Mrs. Nicholas Ridgely du Pont and her daughter, posing in Longwood Gardens, taken from Town and Country magazine, December 1973. Box 3, Jacqueline Thompson papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Photograph of Mrs. Eleuthère Irénée du Pont and her daughters, posing in Eleutherian Mills, taken from Town and Country magazine, December 1973. Box 3, Jacqueline Thompson papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

The Du Pont family was once one of the most influential and prominent families in the United States. Eleuthère du Pont de Nemours founded what was to become the DuPont Company in 1802.

The company’s first product was gunpowder, manufactured in Delaware at Eleutherian Mills. By the mid-twentieth century, DuPont was an industrial powerhouse, producing chemical products of all types. DuPont chemists were responsible for developing everything from neoprene to Teflon.

The business made billions for the Du Pont family. And family members devoted some of their fortunes to philanthropic endeavors. Pennsylvania’s Longwood Gardens were financed by Pierre S. du Pont. He also donated millions to Delaware’s public schools. Alfred I. du Pont funded children’s hospitals in Delaware and Florida.

Learn more about the Du Pont family dynasty in the Jacqueline Thompson papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.