DuPont Co.

in full E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.

U.S. chemical, coatings, and fibre manufacturer. The company was founded near Wilmington, Del., in 1802 by a French immigrant, Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours, son of the eminent economist Pierre-Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). The company originally manufactured gunpowder and other explosives. It was incorporated in 1899 after nearly a century as a partnership, after which it began to diversify its product line, partly through extensive acquisitions. DuPont developed nitrocellulose plastics in 1915 and synthetic rubber in 1931 and later developed the fibres nylon, Orlon, Dacron, Kevlar, and Lycra, as well as Mylar film and Teflon resin, among many other synthetics. The company was run by the Du Pont family until World War II. Today it is a highly diverse conglomerate with interests in chemicals, agriculture, electronics, and packaging.

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