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.