Representative Pierre Samuel, IV du Pont

Pierre Samuel “Pete” du Pont IV (January 22, 1935 – May 8, 2021) was an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the United States representative for Delaware’s at-large congressional district from 1971 to 1977 and as the 68th governor of Delaware from 1977 to 1985. A member of the Republican Party, he contributed to the legislative process during three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and later became a nationally recognized advocate for tax reform, deregulation, and education and welfare policy innovation.

Du Pont was born on January 22, 1935, in Wilmington, Delaware, into the prominent Du Pont family. He was the son of Pierre Samuel du Pont III and Jane Holcomb du Pont, the grandson of industrialist Lammot du Pont II, and the great-nephew of Pierre S. du Pont, the developer of Longwood Gardens. Raised in an environment closely connected to Delaware’s business and civic life, he attended Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire before enrolling at Princeton University. After graduating from Princeton, he continued his studies at Harvard Law School, where he earned his law degree, preparing for a career that would combine law, business, and public service.

Following law school, du Pont served in the U.S. Naval Reserve with the Seabees from 1957 until 1960, gaining experience in military engineering and construction support. After completing his military service, he returned to Delaware and joined E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, where he was employed from 1963 until 1970. His work at the family’s namesake chemical company provided him with insight into corporate management and the economic issues facing both Delaware and the nation. During this period he married Elise Ravenel Wood; the couple had four children: Elise, Pierre V, Ben, and Eleuthère.

Du Pont entered elective politics in 1968, when he was elected unopposed to the 12th district seat in the Delaware House of Representatives. He served in the state legislature from 1969 until 1971, building a reputation as a capable Republican lawmaker. As his political ambitions grew, he seriously considered a bid for the United States Senate in 1972, a race ultimately won by Democrat Joe Biden. Initially, du Pont appeared likely to face a primary contest against former U.S. Representative Harry G. Haskell Jr., but he withdrew from consideration in deference to Republican Party leaders, including President Richard Nixon, who favored encouraging incumbent U.S. Senator J. Caleb Boggs to seek a third term.

In 1970, du Pont was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as the at-large representative from Delaware, defeating Democrat John D. Daniello, a New Castle County councilman and labor leader. He was reelected twice, defeating Democrat Norma Handloff in 1972 and University of Delaware professor James R. Soles in 1974, and served in Congress from January 3, 1971, to January 3, 1977. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history marked by the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and shifting economic conditions. In the House, du Pont supported efforts to limit presidential authority through the War Powers Act of 1973, reflecting congressional concern over executive power in foreign affairs. At the same time, he was one of the last Republicans to remain personally loyal to President Richard M. Nixon during the impeachment process, illustrating the tensions within the party during that era. Throughout his three terms, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his Delaware constituents in national debates.

Choosing not to seek another term in the House, du Pont ran for governor of Delaware in 1976. He defeated incumbent Democratic Governor Sherman W. Tribbitt by 33,051 votes and took office on January 18, 1977. He was reelected in 1980, defeating Democratic State House leader William J. Gordy by 94,787 votes, and served as governor until January 15, 1985. As governor, du Pont pursued an agenda focused on fiscal restraint, tax reduction, and economic diversification. He signed into law two income tax reduction measures and a constitutional amendment designed to restrain future tax increases and limit government spending. The Wilmington News Journal later praised these policies, noting that du Pont “revived [the] business climate and set the stage for [Delaware’s] prosperity.”

Du Pont’s governorship was also notable for institutional and economic innovation. In 1979, he founded the nonprofit organization “Jobs for Delaware Graduates,” an employment counseling and job placement program aimed at high school seniors not bound for college. The initiative became a model for similar programs in many other states and foreign countries, reflecting his interest in practical workforce development. In 1981, he played a central role in establishing Delaware as a major center of the credit card and financial services industry. Working with state leaders of both parties and business figures such as former Du Pont Company chairman Irving S. Shapiro, then a lobbyist for Citicorp, du Pont championed the Financial Center Development Act of 1981. Enacted in a competitive race with South Dakota, which had recently abolished its usury law, the Delaware statute relaxed banking regulations to attract out-of-state financial institutions. Although initially intended to draw two New York banks that would hire at least 1,000 employees, the law ultimately brought more than thirty banks to Delaware, created approximately 43,000 finance-related jobs, and helped shift the state’s economy away from its historic dependence on the chemical industry and the Du Pont Company.

With his second and final gubernatorial term ending in 1985, du Pont, by then the dominant Republican figure in Delaware politics, was widely expected to challenge popular Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Biden. Du Pont, however, had little interest in returning to legislative office and declined to run. Instead, he prepared for a long-shot bid for the Republican presidential nomination in the 1988 election. He formally declared his candidacy on September 16, 1986, becoming the first major Republican to enter the race. His wife, Elise du Pont, sought to succeed Democrat Tom Carper in the U.S. House seat he had once held, running in 1984, but she was defeated by the incumbent. In the 1988 Republican primaries, du Pont advanced an unconventional and reform-oriented platform. He proposed offering Social Security recipients private savings options in exchange for reduced government benefits, phasing out farm subsidies, moving welfare recipients into the workforce even through government-provided entry-level jobs, and subjecting students to mandatory, random drug tests with the loss of driver’s licenses for those who failed. After finishing near the bottom in the New Hampshire primary, he withdrew from the race.

In his later career, du Pont remained active in public policy and conservative intellectual circles. In 1984 he served as chairman of the Education Commission of the States, a national organization focused on improving all aspects of American education. He was chairman of the Hudson Institute, a public policy think tank, from 1985 to 1987, and later chaired the National Review Institute from 1994 to 1997, reinforcing his role as a leading Republican policy voice. He served as chairman of the board of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a Dallas-based think tank, and was a retired director with the Wilmington law firm of Richards, Layton & Finger, where he continued to practice law and advise on public policy matters. Until May 2014, he wrote the monthly “Outside the Box” column for The Wall Street Journal, commenting on national economic, political, and social issues.

Pierre Samuel “Pete” du Pont IV died at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, on May 8, 2021, following a long illness. His career spanned state and national politics, business, and policy advocacy, and he left a lasting imprint on Delaware’s fiscal structure, economic development, and educational and employment programs.