Irving S. Shapiro

Irving Shapiro begins this interview by discussing his parents' backgrounds and the influence of his father's interest in law and accounting. Next Shapiro examines his own early intellectual strengths and proclivities and his undergraduate and law school performance. He describes the path which took him from a private practice in Minneapolis, to the U.S. Office of Price Administration during WWII, to the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division, where his highly publicized work prosecuting the eleven Communists brought him to the attention of the DuPont legal department. Shapiro recalls how his appointment as a DuPont General Counsel heralded a new era for the company in terms of its attitude toward Jews. In considering his advancement to CEO, Shapiro emphasizes his relationships with Walter Carpenter, Crawford Greenewalt, and Charles McCoy, as well as his work with the industrial departments and in disputes involving General Motors, Ford Motors, and Ralph Nader. Next, while discussing his career as CEO, Shapiro explains how his management and communication practices impacted on public and internal views of DuPont and allowed talented employees to blossom. He touches on his relationships with Edward Kane and Edward Jefferson and his commitment to DuPont's research and development, and he speaks more generally of his views of foreign competition, business-community relations with the media and government, the Business Roundtable, and his legacy to the history of DuPont. Finally, Shapiro describes his post-DuPont work at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom, and at the Howard Hughes Institute.

Private Practice

1941 - 1941 Attorney

U. S. Office of Price Administration

1941 - 1943 Attorney

U.S. Department of Justice

1943 - 1951 Attorney, Criminal Division

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

1951 - 1965 Attorney, Legal Department

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

1965 - 1970 Assistant General Counsel

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

1970 - 1972 Vice President

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

1970 - 1973 Director, Executive Committee Member

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

1972 - 1974 Senior Vice President

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

1973 - 1973 Vice Chairman of the Board

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

1974 - 1981 Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board, Finance Committee

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom

1981 - 1990 Member, Chairman of Public Affairs Committee

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom

1990 Partner

James J. Bohning

James J. Bohning is professor emeritus of chemistry at Wilkes University, where he was a faculty member from 1959 to 1990. He served there as chemistry department chair from 1970 to 1986 and environmental science department chair from 1987 to 1990. Bohning was chair of the American Chemical Society’s Division of the History of Chemistry in 1986; he received the division’s Outstanding Paper Award in 1989 and has presented more than forty papers at national meetings of the society. Bohning was on the advisory committee of the society’s National Historic Chemical Landmarks Program from its inception in 1992 through 2001 and is currently a consultant to the committee. He developed the oral history program of the Chemical Heritage Foundation, and he was the foundation’s director of oral history from 1990 to 1995. From 1995 to 1998, Bohning was a science writer for the News Service group of the American Chemical Society. He is currently a visiting research scientist and CESAR Fellow at Lehigh University. In May 2005, he received the Joseph Priestley Service Award from the Susquehanna Valley Section of the American Chemical Society.

Bernadette R. McNulty

Bernadette R. McNulty, former oral history project manager for the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF), holds a B.A. in communications and social work and an M.A. and Ph.D. in communications. She held several teaching and research-related appointments, including positions at Muhlenberg and Rowan Colleges and Temple University, before joining CHF's oral history program in 1994.