He was one of the most famous and wealthy natives of the City of Brotherly Love in the second half of the twentieth century. An heir to a substantial family fortune, he successfully grew the family’s capital. But he is, of course, best remembered for a crime that overshadowed all his achievements. Read more about the businessman’s path to prominence—how it all began, where he invested his money, and how he lost it all—at philadelphiaski.
Career Beginnings and Development
John du Pont was born on November 22, 1938. He grew up in Philadelphia in a family descended from European immigrants who came to America in the late nineteenth century.
From childhood, young John helped with the family business. His family initially owned a small horse farm, which eventually grew into a massive business project in Philadelphia.
Besides the family business, the young man dedicated all his free time to his studies. He attended a local school and then spent a year at one of Philadelphia’s most famous institutions, the University of Pennsylvania. Several years later, he earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of Miami.
After the death of his parents, John du Pont took full control of the family business. He later decided to build a sports complex on the farm, a decision primarily motivated by his lifelong love of freestyle wrestling. The Philadelphian equipped the state-of-the-art facility for the entire United States national wrestling team, which was largely composed of athletes from the City of Brotherly Love. The team achieved impressive results that would not have been possible without du Pont’s financial backing.
Even at a young age, the local entrepreneur had a significant fortune thanks to his parents, and he only continued to multiply it, even engaging in philanthropy. John invested considerable sums in various sports in Philadelphia, from creating school teams to supporting national teams and top athletes.
What Else Is the Businessman Remembered For?
John du Pont is primarily remembered for the murder of Dave Schultz. On January 26, 1996, the prominent philanthropist and wrestling patron shot and killed the Olympic champion wrestler near his home on the du Pont estate. He then barricaded himself inside his mansion, and it took police two days to apprehend him.
One of the unofficial reasons for the crime was a conflict between du Pont and Dave Schultz. The Philadelphian was actively involved in the training process as the wrestlers prepared for the 1996 Olympic Games, and Dave, a coach on the team, disagreed with some of John’s decisions. Schultz had even considered leaving the training camp and the team. Law enforcement officials considered this a possible motive in the conflict between the two men.
The trial of the influential figure lasted for several years. His legal team emphasized the defendant’s psychological state, attempting to reduce his prison sentence. Ultimately, in 1997, the court found du Pont guilty of third-degree murder but mentally ill and sentenced him to 13 to 30 years in prison. Thirteen years later, in 2010, his lawyers filed an appeal for early release, but it was unsuccessful.
On December 9, 2010, one of the wealthiest men of the latter half of the twentieth century died in prison. To this day, the official cause of death has not been widely publicized. His maximum sentence was set to end on January 29, 2026, at which point he would have been eighty-seven years old.
At the time of the crime, according to American media reports, the Philadelphia businessman’s net worth was over two hundred million U.S. dollars.
