Du Pont, Pete (Pierre Samuel du Pont IV), 1935-2021, Wilmington, Del, Princeton Univ. (Mech. Engr., 1956); Harvard Law School (J.D., 1963). Du Pont was a scion of the Du Pont family, owners of the noted chemical company. Educated in engineering, du Pont was groomed for a position in the family business. After completing college, he served in the Naval Reserve (1957-60) before entering Harvard Law. He then joined the family chemical company (1963-70), but soon began dabbling in politics. He first successfully ran for the Delaware House of Representatives in 1968, and then in 1970 was elected to Congress, serving three terms. In 1976, he was elected governor of the state; he served two terms, helping to eliminate its deficit and attract business to the state. In 1988, he ran for the Republican nomination for president, but quickly dropped out after poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire. After retiring from politics, du Pont worked for conservative think tanks, practiced law, and wrote a regular opinion column for the Wall Street Journal.
See R.A. Martin, History of Delaware through Its Governors (1984); W.W. Boyer, Governing Delaware (2000).
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