William du Pont Jr.
William du Pont Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 February 1896 Loseley Park, Surrey, England |
| Died | 31 December 1965 (aged 69) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, financier, thoroughbred racing personality |
| Known for | Designing and establishing more than twenty racecourses including Fair Hill; president and chairman of Delaware Trust Company; owner of Foxcatcher Farm racing stable |
William du Pont Jr. (February 11, 1896 – December 31, 1965) was a British-born American entrepreneur, financier, and a prominent personality in Thoroughbred horse racing. He was responsible for designing and establishing more than twenty racecourses, notably including Fair Hill on his expansive 5,000-acre estate in Maryland. As a member of the influential Delaware Du Pont family, he was the son of William du Pont and Annie Rogers Zinn, and sibling to renowned horse breeder and equestrian Marion duPont Scott.
Early life and education
William, often called Willie, entered the world at Loseley Park, Surrey, England, as the sole son of Annie Zinn and William du Pont. He and his sister Marion were brought up at Montpelier, the historic residence of President James Madison, which their parents had expanded. Both siblings attended exclusive private institutions and cultivated an enthusiasm for thoroughbred racing; William concentrated particularly on the aspects of racing and breeding.
Marriages, family, and career
On January 1, 1919, du Pont wedded Jean Liseter Austin, daughter of railroad magnate William Liseter Austin. Their wedding gift included a substantial tract of land where William’s father constructed Liseter Hall in 1922—a Georgian-style mansion inspired by Montpelier.
In 1921, du Pont became a board member of Delaware Trust Company, where his father served as president and later chairman. Upon his father’s death in 1928, he inherited Bellevue Hall estate in Delaware and transformed its Gothic Revival castle to echo Montpelier’s design. Subsequently, he took over as president of Delaware Trust Company.
Together with Jean, he transformed Liseter Hall Farm into one of the premier equine centers in the Mid-Atlantic region during the 1920s and 1930s. The facility boasted the first indoor galloping track in America, multiple barns dedicated to racehorses, a spacious indoor riding arena measuring 40 by 120 feet, a half-mile training track complete with a viewing stand and water tower, as well as specialized buildings for breeding, hunters, show horses, loading operations with ramps, and a grassy chute linking barns to the track. Comparable equestrian amenities were also developed at Bellevue Hall.
The couple had four children before their divorce in February 1941; Jean retained ownership of her inherited estate while du Pont relocated to Bellevue Hall.
In 1947, du Pont married tennis champion Margaret Osborne duPont. To accommodate her interests, he constructed both indoor and outdoor tennis courts at Bellevue. Their union produced one son, William du Pont III (born 1952), who eventually owned Pillar Stud in Lexington, Kentucky. That same year marked his appointment as chairman of Delaware Trust Company while maintaining his role as president. The marriage ended in divorce in 1964.
Foxcatcher Farm
During the 1920s at Liseter Hall Farm, du Pont Jr. established a significant thoroughbred racing operation under the nom de course Foxcatcher Farm. He also expanded breeding activities at Bellevue Hall in Wilmington, Delaware, and at Fair Hill, where he developed a steeplechase course on his extensive property.
In 1927, he imported the stallion Satrap from England to stand at Walnut Hall Farm near Boyce, Virginia. Later in 1936, he participated in a syndicate that acquired and imported Blenheim—an Epsom Derby winner previously owned by Aga Khan III.
His racing stable was initially overseen by trainer Preston Burch, an inductee into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame; from the mid-1930s through the 1960s, management passed to Richard Handlen. Under their guidance, du Pont secured victory in the 1938 Preakness Stakes with Dauber—a key event within the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. Other distinguished horses from his stable included:
- Fair Star – crowned the 1926 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly
- White Clover II – winner of the 1932 Suburban Handicap
- Rosemont (horse) – victor of the 1935 Withers Stakes; defeated Triple Crown champion Omaha and bested Seabiscuit in the 1937 Santa Anita Handicap
- Ruler – first stakes winner bred by du Pont; Brook Steeplechase champion in both 1929 and 1930
- Fairy Chant – earned titles as the 1940 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and 1941 American Champion Older Female Horse
- Parlo – honored as American Champion Older Female Horse in both 1954 and 1955
- Berlo – recognized as the 1960 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly
These achievements significantly elevated both reputation and value of his racing enterprises.
Beyond racing operations, du Pont played an instrumental role in developing numerous racecourses—designing twenty-three tracks including Maryland’s Fair Hill steeplechase course and Delaware Park Racetrack for flat racing which opened on June 26, 1937. He was pivotal in drafting legislation enabling Delaware Park’s construction and served as its principal shareholder. During this period, these Thoroughbred farms along with racing activities were vital economic contributors to Delaware and Maryland despite gradual declines in spectator attendance over time.
Du Pont passed away at Wilmington Medical Center at age sixty-nine on December 31, 1965.
Montpelier
In 1928, Marion duPont Scott came into possession of Montpelier, the historic estate once owned by James Madison, situated near Orange, Virginia. Six years later, in 1934, Marion and William initiated the Montpelier Races, a National Steeplechase event that continues to take place annually on the estate grounds.
When Scott passed away in 1983, she bequeathed Montpelier—a recognized National Historic Landmark—to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Her testament included a $10 million provision for acquiring the property and creating an endowment fund. Although the estate initially passed to her brother’s five children, three of them sold or transferred their shares to the Trust. Following legal challenges, the remaining two heirs also divested their interests by 1984.
Currently, the National Trust manages Montpelier as a public historical site dedicated to James and Dolley Madison, their time in office, and the estate’s architectural and cultural legacy. After disputes concerning representation of descendants of Madison’s enslaved African Americans on the board, an agreement was reached granting this group majority control of board seats. Since then, there has been an increased focus on interpreting Montpelier’s history within the broader narrative of Madison’s relationship to slavery in America.
Legacy and honors
Following du Pont's death, his descendants chose not to maintain the Bellevue Hall estate due to its extensive recreational amenities and upkeep requirements. In 1976, Delaware acquired the property and transformed it into Bellevue State Park for public enjoyment. In recognition of his achievements, du Pont was posthumously inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 1979.