Jean Kane Foulke du Pont

Jean Kane Foulke du Pont (May 21, 1891–November 6, 1985) was an American suffragette, prison reform activist and philanthropist.

Jean Kane Foulke du Pont
BornMay 21, 1891
Lenape, Pennsylvania
DiedNovember 6, 1985(1985-11-06) (aged 94)
Montchanin, Delaware
Occupationactivist, philanthropist
Spouse(s)Éleuthère Paul du Pont
RelativesWilliam Foulke (grandfather)

Biography

Foulke du Pont was born in Lenape, Pennsylvania to parents George Rhyfedd Foulke and Jean Kane Foulke.[1] She was the granddaughter of William Foulke, who discovered the first full dinosaur skeleton in North America (Hadrosaurus foulkii), in Haddonfield, New Jersey, in 1858.

She grew up in Philadelphia and attended the Misses Hebb's School in Wilmington, Delaware.[1] She married industrialist Éleuthère Paul du Pont on June 9, 1910. Her husband was a member of the prominent Du Pont family and the founder of Du Pont Motors. They had six sons: ; Éleuthère Paul, Jr. (1911); Francis George (1913); Stephen (1915); Robert Jacques (1923);Benjamin Bonneau (1919), and Alexis Irénée (1928). Their son Stephen, an aviation enthusiast, was inducted into the Soaring Hall of Fame in 1987.[2]

Activism

Foulke du Pont was a progressive woman for her era, and her passion was prison reform; in 1919 she helped found The Prisoners' Aid Society of Delaware as well as Bridge House, a detention home for juvenile offenders in the Browntown section of Wilmington, that was open until 1989.[3]

Foulke du Pont was exceedingly active in the women's suffrage movement; in 1916 she picketed the White House with a troop of Delaware women in an effort to persuade President Woodrow Wilson to become active in the cause.

During World War I, Foulke du Pont was a leader in the Women's Auxiliary for the Delaware Committee, as well as the Council of National Defense. She was also responsible for several "Save the Babies" stations, which resulted in Delaware's "Pure Milk Legislation" intended to protect milk sold for babies, and also led to child welfare programs in Delaware. Foulke du Pont also played an important role in the creation of Delaware's present Family Court. There is a plaque in her honor at the Family Court in Wilmington, dedicated in 1963.[4]

In 1964, she contacted the University of Delaware seeking a training and educational program for the Delaware's correctional workers, to benefit those "working in probation, parole, family court, and youth services, as well as the guards in state prisons."[3] She created a $400,000 endowment (equivalent of $3 million in 2014) in honor of her husband, the "E. Paul du Pont Endowment for the Study of Crime, Delinquency, and Corrections," if the university agreed to train the correctional personnel. She also donated a 10-year grant to encourage the university faculty to study prison reform and prisoner rehabilitation issues through the sociology department. This eventually led to the university's criminal justice program.[5] She also made additional yearly donations to the sociology department to study social welfare.[6]

References
  1. "Jean Kane Foulke duPont papers, 1886-1975". Delaware Historical Society. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  2. "Stephen DuPont Obituary". The News Journal. July 29, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  3. "Familial Relations: The Du Ponts & the University of Delaware". The University of Delaware. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  4. Judge Elwood Melson (1963). Hagley Museum and Library Archive (Speech). Dedication of Plaque Honoring Jean Kane Foulke du Pont. Wilmington, Delaware. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  5. "The University of Delaware: A History - Chapter 12". The University of Delaware. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  6. "The University of Delaware: A History - Chapter 11". The University of Delaware. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
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