Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Pierre Samuel du Pont
December 14, 1739 Paris, France |
| Died | August 7, 1817 (aged 77) Greenville, Delaware, US |
| Spouses |
Nicole-Charlotte Marie-Louise le Dée de Rencourt
(m. 1766; Marie Françoise Robin de Poivre
(m. 1795) |
| Children | Victor Marie du Pont Eleuthère Irénée du Pont |
| Residences | Chevannes, Burgundy; Nemours, France |
Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (born December 14, 1739 – died August 7, 1817) was a French-American writer and economist. He also worked as a publisher and government official. During the French Revolution, he and his family moved to the United States.
His son, Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, started the famous DuPont company. Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours became the head of a very successful and wealthy family in the U.S.
Contents
Early Life and Family
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Pierre du Pont was born on December 14, 1739, in Paris, France. His father, Samuel du Pont, was a watchmaker and a French Protestant, also known as a Huguenot. His mother, Anne Alexandrine de Montchanin, came from a less wealthy noble family in Burgundy.
In 1766, Pierre married Nicole-Charlotte Marie-Louise le Dée de Rencourt. She also came from a minor noble family. They had three sons together. Their sons were Victor Marie (1767–1827), who became a manufacturer and politician, and Éleuthère Irénée (1771–1834). Éleuthère Irénée later founded the E.I. duPont de Nemours and Company in the United States. Sadly, Nicole-Charlotte passed away in 1784 from typhoid.
Life in France: Before the Revolution
Pierre du Pont was very smart and ambitious. He didn't want to be a watchmaker like his father. Instead, he met many important people in the French court during the time known as the Ancien Régime.
He became a student and helper to Dr. François Quesnay. Dr. Quesnay was the personal doctor to King Louis XV's mistress, Madame de Pompadour. Dr. Quesnay led a group called the économistes, who were liberals at court. They wanted to make changes to the economy and farming in France.
Economic Ideas and Influence
By the early 1760s, Pierre du Pont's writings about the national economy caught the eye of famous thinkers. These included Voltaire and Turgot. In 1768, he wrote a book about a theory called physiocracy. This book suggested having low taxes on goods and allowing free trade between countries. His ideas greatly influenced Adam Smith, a famous economist from Scotland.
In 1774, King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth invited du Pont to help organize Poland's education system. This work helped his career in France. He was then appointed as the French inspector general of commerce under King Louis XVI.
Diplomacy and Recognition
Pierre du Pont helped negotiate the Treaty of 1783. This treaty was important because Great Britain officially recognized the United States as an independent country. He also helped set up a trade agreement between France and England in 1786.
In 1784, King Louis XVI honored him with a special document called lettres patentes. This document added "de Nemours" to his name, which meant "of Nemours" and showed where he lived. This process was known as noblesse de lettres.
French Revolution and Move to America
At first, Pierre du Pont supported the French Revolution. He even served as president of the National Constituent Assembly.
However, things became dangerous. He and his son Eleuthère helped defend King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. This happened when a large crowd attacked the Tuileries Palace in Paris on August 10, 1792. During a very violent time called the Reign of Terror, du Pont was sentenced to death by the guillotine. Luckily, he was saved when Robespierre, a leader of the Terror, lost power in July 1794.
New Beginnings in the United States
In 1795, he married Françoise Robin. After his home was attacked by a mob in 1797, he, his sons, and their families decided to move. They immigrated to the United States in 1799.
They hoped to create a new community for French people who had left France, but this plan did not work out. In the United States, du Pont became good friends with important people in industry and government. He was especially close with Thomas Jefferson, who later became president. Jefferson had known du Pont since 1787 and called him "one of the very great men of the age."
Pierre du Pont also helped with unofficial talks between the United States and France during the time of Napoleon. He came up with the idea that led to the Louisiana Purchase. This was a huge land deal that helped avoid conflict between French and U.S. forces in New Orleans. He eventually settled permanently in the U.S. and passed away there in 1817.
His son Éleuthère had studied chemistry in France with Antoine Lavoisier. He used his knowledge to start a gunpowder factory in the U.S. This company grew to become one of America's largest and most successful businesses, known today as DuPont.
In 1800, Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia.
See also
In Spanish: Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours para niños
