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John Eleuthère du Pont Biography

(Philanthropist, Murderer)

Birthday: November 22, 1938 (Sagittarius)

Born In: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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John Eleuthère du Pont was someone who can’t be easily categorized. The heir to the Du Pont family, one of the members of the Forbes 400 Richest Americans, Du Pont is more famously known for his philanthropy and sports enthusiasm. He was a self-styled wrestling coach and the founder of the wrestling academy at the Foxcatcher Farm. He supported the pentathlon and amateur sports in the US and sponsored the USA wrestling. Apart from being a sports enthusiast, he had expertise in ornithology, philately, Conchology and had published books in these areas of learning. He was also the founder and director of the Delaware Museum of Natural History. His eccentric behavior started catching eyes, around the time when Du Pont turned 60. He became increasingly disruptive and paranoid, which led to him murdering Dave Schultz, an Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler. He shot Schultz at the driveway of the latter’s residence, inside du Pont’s estate. The court declared him as not insane and the verdict was ‘guilty but mentally ill’. Du Pont was sentenced to prison for 13-30 years. He was 72 years of age when he died, inside the prison. His life is portrayed in the 2014 film ‘Foxcatcher’.

Birthday: November 22, 1938 (Sagittarius)

Born In: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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Quick Facts

Also Known As: John du Pont

Died At Age: 72

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Gale Wenk

father: William du Pont Jr.

Murderers American Men

Died on: December 9, 2010

place of death: Pennsylvania, United States

Founder/Co-Founder: Delaware Museum of Natural History

More Facts

education: University Of Pennsylvania, University Of Miami, Villanova University

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You wanted to know

  • 1

    What was John Eleuthère du Pont's role in the world of wrestling?

    John Eleuthère du Pont was a wrestling enthusiast who founded Team Foxcatcher, a wrestling facility located on his estate where he sponsored and trained Olympic-level wrestlers.
  • 2

    What led to John Eleuthère du Pont's arrest and subsequent trial?

    John Eleuthère du Pont was arrested for the murder of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz on his estate in 1996. He was found guilty of third-degree murder and sentenced to prison.
  • 3

    What was the psychological profile of John Eleuthère du Pont?

    John Eleuthère du Pont was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and exhibited erratic behavior, delusions of grandeur, and paranoia throughout his life.
  • 4

    How did John Eleuthère du Pont's actions impact the world of wrestling?

    John Eleuthère du Pont's actions, particularly the murder of Dave Schultz, had a profound negative impact on the wrestling community and led to increased awareness of mental health issues in sports.
  • 5

    What was the legacy of John Eleuthère du Pont following his death?

    John Eleuthère du Pont's legacy is marred by his criminal actions and mental health struggles, with his story serving as a cautionary tale about the intersection of wealth, power, and mental illness.

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Childhood & Early Life
Born on November 22, 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, John Eleuthère du Pont was the son of William du Pont Jr. And Jean Lisester Austin.
He was the youngest among the four siblings. They grew up in Lisester Hall in Pennsylvania, which was gifted as a wedding present by his maternal grandfather.
In 1941, when John was two years of age, his parents got divorced. He had a younger half brother from his father’s second marriage.
In 1957, du Pont graduated from Haverford School and in 1965, he graduated from the University of Miami. He had studied Zoology under the guidance of Oscar. T. Owre, the famous scientist.
In 1973, he received his PhD degree in natural science from Villanova University.
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Later Life & Career
Du Pont had been part of several scientific expeditions, in the Phillippines and South Pacific, as a part of his graduate work. During the course of this, he discovered about 16 species of birds.
In 1957, he founded the Delaware Museum of Natural History. He served for a long period as the director of this institute.
In 1980, he bought the British Guiana 1856 1c black on magenta, which is one of the rarest stamps in the world.
By 1986, he started taking active interest in wrestling. When Villanova University dropped his wrestling program , he built a wrestling facility along with a training center at his Newtown Square estate.
The estate was renamed as Foxcatcher Farm and the instruction center was called the Foxcather National Training center, after his father’s thoroughbred racing stable. The center, built in 1988, catered to the world’s greatest wrestling talents. He also let famous wrestlers like Mark Schultz and his older brother Dave Schultz live inside the estate.
Du Pont used to promote a division of the modern pentathlon which involved the run-swim-shoot practice.
In his 50s, he started training as a wrestler and went on to take part in the 1992 Veteran’s World Championships in Cali, Colombia, the 1993 championship in Toronto, Ontario, the 1994 in Rome, Italy and the 1995 championship in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Murder of Dave Schultz & Final Years
On January 26, 1996, John Eleuthère du Pont shot three bullets into Dave Schultz, the coach of his wrestling team, thereby killing him. The witnesses to the crime were Schultz’s wife and the head of Pont’s security.
Following the incident, du Pont locked himself inside his place. The police could arrest him when he came outside to repair his heater.
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The police could not find out a motive for the crime. On September 1996, du Pont was declared as ‘psychotic’ and so he could not partake in his own defense. He was admitted to a mental hospital for the next three months. however, the insanity defense was not taken by the court.
On February 25, 1997, the jury found him guilty even though mentally ill. He was sentenced to 13 to 20 years of imprisonment because of third degree murder.
Du Pont was committed to the state Correctional Institution-Mercer in the Pennsylvania prison system.
Major Works
John du Pont is the author of 3 books on Ornithology: ‘Philippine Birds’ (19710, ‘South Pacific Birds’ (1976) and ‘Living Volutes’.
Personal Life & Legacy
On September 3, 1983, du Pont married Gale Wenl, a 29 year old occupational therapist. Within 10 months of the marriage, du Pont filed for divorce.
His wife claimed that du Pont had been physically violent and had even tried to kill her. The divorce was finalized in 1987.
In December 1988, a lawsuit was filed against him which claimed that he had made inappropriate sexual advances towards Andre Metzger, the assistant coach of his Villanova wrestling program.
On December 9, 2010, du Pont died from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). He was 72 years of age.
He was buried in his red Foxcatcher wrestling singlet, as stated in his will.
Net worth:
In 1987, it was estimated that John du Pont’s net worth was $200 million.
Facts About John Eleuthère du Pont
John Eleuthère du Pont was an avid collector of rare insects and had an extensive collection of butterflies.
He was a noted philanthropist and donated significant amounts of money to various charitable causes, particularly in the field of sports and athletics.
Du Pont was known for his passion for wrestling and even built a state-of-the-art wrestling facility on his estate, where he sponsored and trained Olympic-level wrestlers.
He was a published author and wrote several books on subjects ranging from ornithology to American history.
Du Pont had a keen interest in horticulture and spent a considerable amount of time tending to the gardens and grounds of his estate, which were renowned for their beauty.

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20th Century | 20th Century Criminals | 20th Century Murderers