Overview

In 1902, Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954), was one of three cousins who purchased the family firm and transformed it from an explosives business to a modern corporation involved in the production of synthetic textile fibers, paints, varnishes, plastics, and heavy chemicals. When General Motors faced bankruptcy in 1920, Pierre left DuPont to create a decentralized management structure to cope effectively with GM's widely varying products and markets. In retirement he opened his carefully cultivated estate, Longwood Gardens, to the public.

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