Lammot du Pont Copeland
 Lammot du Pont Copeland     (businessman, DuPont family) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1905-05-19 Christiana Hundred, Delaware, U.S. |
| Died | 1983-07-01 (Age 78) Mt. Cuba Center, Greenville, Delaware, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Wilmington Friends School, Harvard |
| Parents | Charles Copeland and Louisa d'Andelot du Pont |
| Children | • Gerret van Sweringen Copeland • Lammot du Pont Copeland Jr • Louisa du Pont Copeland |
| Spouse | Pamela Cunnigham |
| Member of | Bohemian Grove, Council on Foreign Relations/Historical Members, Links Club, Pacific-Union Club |
| Interests | population control |
Part of the mighty DuPont chemical family, activist for population control | |
Lammot du Pont Copeland was an American businessman and President of DuPont de Nemours, Inc., the world's largest chemical concern He was the founder of the Population Crisis Committee in 1965 (now "Population Action International") as a lobbying organization for government involvement in population control.
Life and career
His parents were Charles Copeland (March 30, 1867 in Englewood, New Jersey – February 3, 1944) and Louisa d'Andelot du Pont (January 25, 1868 in New Castle County, Delaware – August 10, 1926), who were married on February 16, 1904, at St. Amour in Wilmington, Delaware.
Copeland was the great-great-grandson of DuPont's founder, Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, and he served as the company's 11th president from 1962 to 1967. He appeared on the cover of TIME magazine on November 27, 1964.[1]
In his tenure as president and chairman, the company expanded its voluminous chemical and plastics product lines into electronics, instrumentation, pharmaceuticals and other areas of rising demand, increasing operating investments by 50 percent. He was also credited with a major role in doubling the concern's overseas business.
For 14 years in the 1940's and 1950's, Mr. Copeland was a director of the General Motors Corporation, representing Du Pont's 23 percent stock interest in the auto maker. As such, he was one of the principal defendants in Du Pont's 13-year antitrust battle with the Government over Du Pont's $3.5 billion stock interest in G.M. In compliance with a Federal court order forbidding the interlocking of Du Pont and G.M. directorates, Copeland resigned from the G.M. board in 1959.[2]
Copeland's resignation as Du Pont's chairman in 1971 was in part prompted by his efforts to straighten out the tangled financial affairs of a son, Lammot du Pont Copeland Jr., who filed the largest personal bankruptcy case in history in 1970, listing liabilities of $55 million.[2]
He married Pamela Cunnigham (May 5, 1906 – January 25, 2001) on February 1, 1930, at Litchfield, Connecticut. She was the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Seymour Cunningham of Litchfield. The Copelands had three children: Bouchaine Vineyards winery owner Gerret van Sweringen Copeland, Lammot du Pont Copeland Jr., and daughter Louisa du Pont Copeland, who married James Biddle.
In 1962, Copeland established the Andelot Fellowships at the University of Delaware. Together with Hugh Moore and William Henry Draper Jr., Copeland founded the Population Crisis Committee in 1965 (now "Population Action International") as a lobbying organization for government involvement in population control.
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1963 | 29 March 1963 | 31 March 1963 | France Cannes Hotel Martinez | The 12th Bilderberg meeting and the second one in France. |
