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| John du Pont | |
|---|---|
| Name | John E. du Pont |
| Birth date | November 22, 1938 |
| Birth place | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Death date | December 9, 2010 |
| Death place | Somerville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Philanthropist; heir; art collector; ornithologist; wrestling patron |
| Known for | Funding of Foxcatcher estate; murder of Dave Schultz |
| Parents | William du Pont Jr.; Jean Liseter Austin |
| Relatives | E. Paul du Pont; Pierre S. du Pont (family) |
John du Pont was an American heir, philanthropist, art collector, ornithologist, and sponsor of amateur wrestling who gained national attention for founding the Foxcatcher estate and its wrestling program. A scion of the Du Pont family, he supported institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and University of Pennsylvania before being convicted in the 1996 murder of Olympic champion Dave Schultz. His life intersected with figures from Olympic Games wrestling, American philanthropy, and criminal justice.
Born into the prominent Du Pont family industrial dynasty, he was the son of William du Pont Jr. and Jean Liseter Austin, and grandson of relatives linked to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and DuPont chemical company enterprises. The family maintained estates in Wilmington, Delaware and Montchanin, Delaware, and connections to business leaders such as Pierre S. du Pont and financiers like Alfred I. du Pont. His upbringing involved private residences, familial trustees, and interaction with social circles that included members of high society and regional elites in Delaware and Pennsylvania.
He attended preparatory schools associated with elites and later matriculated at University of Pennsylvania, engaging with campus life tied to institutions like Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and organizations such as Phi Beta Kappa-type societies. His intellectual interests ranged across ornithology, paleontology, and museum studies, bringing him into contact with professionals at the American Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, and academic departments at Yale University and Harvard University. He pursued collecting that aligned him with curators and donors active at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and conservationists associated with Audubon Society chapters.
As a benefactor, he made substantial gifts that touched institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and university museums at University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University. His patronage connected him to trustees and directors such as those at the Guggenheim Museum, Brooklyn Museum, and foundations modeled after the Carnegie Corporation and Ford Foundation. He supported exhibitions, acquisitions, and endowments, collaborating with curators formerly affiliated with Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, and regional historical societies. His art collection, managed alongside advisers with ties to auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s, included works that intersected provenance research undertaken by scholars at Smithsonian Institution and university art history departments.
He acquired the Foxcatcher estate in Chester County, Pennsylvania and established a private training center that hosted athletes from national organizations including USA Wrestling, the United States Olympic Committee, and collegiate programs linked to Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling. Coaches and wrestlers from institutions such as Iowa State University, University of Iowa, and Oklahoma State University visited the Foxcatcher facility. His patronage brought together personalities like Dave Schultz, Mark Schultz, and Kevin Jackson, creating ties to international events such as the World Wrestling Championships and Olympic Games.
Tensions between him and members of the Foxcatcher community escalated amid disputes involving security personnel, staff, and athletes connected to organizations such as USA Wrestling and local law enforcement in Chester County, Pennsylvania. On January 26, 1996, Olympic champion Dave Schultz was shot and killed on the Foxcatcher estate, drawing investigative involvement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and prosecutors in the Chester County District Attorney office. The killing prompted widespread media coverage by outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CBS News, and raised questions about mental health assessments tied to forensic psychiatrists associated with university clinics at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Yale School of Medicine.
He was charged with homicide and faced evaluation regarding criminal responsibility, producing expert testimony from forensic evaluators affiliated with institutions such as Drexel University College of Medicine and state psychiatric facilities including Pennsylvania Hospital forensic units. At trial, defense and prosecution presented competing psychiatric diagnoses referencing standards from the American Psychiatric Association and testimony modeled after forensic practice at Columbia University and Harvard Medical School consultancies. In 1997, he was convicted of third-degree murder by a jury in Chester County Courthouse and sentenced to prison in the State Correctional Institution – Phoenix system and held at facilities overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. The case influenced later discussions in legal scholarship at Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and journals covering criminal law and forensic psychiatry.
He died in custody on December 9, 2010, prompting memorial commentary from institutions he had supported, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution, and athletic communities such as USA Wrestling and collegiate programs at Penn State University. His estate and collection became subjects of legal proceedings involving probate courts in Pennsylvania and trustees connected to family trusts modeled on precedents from the Rockefeller Foundation and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace administration. His life and the murder at Foxcatcher inspired cultural works including the film Foxcatcher (film), biographies, investigative journalism in outlets like Vanity Fair and Esquire, and academic analyses published by scholars at Columbia University and University of Pennsylvania examining philanthropy, mental illness, and criminal accountability.
Category:Du Pont family Category:1938 births Category:2010 deaths