| William duPont, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 11, 1896 Lonely Park, Surrey, England |
| Died | December 31, 1965 (aged 69) Wilmington, Delaware, United States |
| Residence | Bellevue Hall, Bellevue, Delaware |
| Occupation | Businessman, Banker, Racetrack owner, Racehorse owner/breeder, Racecourse designer |
| Board member of | Delaware Trust Company |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Spouse | 1) Jean Liseter Austin 2) Margaret Osborne |
| Children |
Children with Jean: 5) William III |
| Parents | William du Pont & Annie Rogers |
| Relatives | Sister: Marion |
| Awards | Delaware Sports Hall of Fame (1979) |
William duPont, Jr. (February 11, 1896 - December 31, 1965) was an American businessman and banker and a prominent figure in the sport of thoroughbred horse racing. A member of the Delaware Du Pont family, he was the son of William du Pont and Annie Rogers (Zinn), and brother to horsewoman, Marion.
In 1919, he married Jean Liseter Austin with whom he had four children. They divorced in February 1941 [1] and he remarried in 1947 to tennis champion, Margaret Osborne. Before they divorced in 1964, they had a son, William du Pont III, born July 22, 1952, who owned Pillar Stud in Lexington, Kentucky.
In 1928 William duPont, Jr.'s older sister, Marion, inherited Montpelier from their father. The estate, located four miles (6 km) south of Orange, Virginia, had been the home of James Madison, fourth President of the United States. In 1934, William and Marion established the Montpelier Races which are run each fall on the grounds at Montpelier. On William's death in 1965, his five children inherited the estate and following Marion's death in 1983 they sold it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the final 2 selling after protracted legal battles. Marion's will left it to the National Trust outright, but because she died childless, it was in fact left to William's children.[2]
William duPont, Jr. established a large Thoroughbred racing stable in the 1920s that he raced under the nom de course, Foxcatcher Farm. In 1927 William duPont imported Satrap from England and brought the son of The Tetrarch to stand at his new Walnut Hall Farm near Boyce, Virginia.[3] In 1936, duPont was part of the syndicate that bought and imported the Aga Khan's Epsom Derby winner, Blenheim II.
The racing operation was managed for several years by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer, Preston Burch. In the mid 1930s, Richard Handlen took over as the stable's trainer and would manage it into the 1960s. During this time, duPont won the 1938 Preakness Stakes with Dauber,[4] and owned other horses that won six American championships:
William duPont's interests in racing extended to the actual designing of racecourses. In all, he created twenty-three racecourses, including Fair Hill, a steeplechase course at Fair Hill in Cecil County, Maryland, and Delaware Park Racetrack for flat racing which opened on June 26, 1937 and in which he was the major shareholder.[5]
William duPont, Jr. died at the Wilmington Medical Center at age sixty-nine on December 31, 1965 [6] In 1979 he was honored posthumously with induction in the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame. [7]