Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Alexis Irenee Dupont BAYARD
Bayard, Alexis Irenee du Pont (1918-1985) — also known as Alexis I. du Pont Bayard — of Rockland, New Castle County, Del. Born in Wilmington, New Castle County, Del., February 11, 1918. Descendant of Richard Bassett; great-great-great-grandson of James Asheton Bayard, Sr.; great-grandnephew of Richard Henry Bayard; great-grandson of James Asheton Bayard, Jr.; grandson of Thomas Francis Bayard, Sr.; son of Thomas Francis Bayard, Jr. and Elizabeth Bradford du Pont Bayard. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II; lawyer; alternate delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 1948; Lieutenant Governor of Delaware, 1949-53. Died September 3, 1985. Interment at Old Swedes Church Cemetery, Wilmington, Del.
Alexis I. du Pont Bayard, 67, former lieutenant governor of Delaware and a member of the finance committee of the Democratic National Committee, died Tuesday during heart-bypass surgery at Graduate Hospital.
A lawyer who was known as "Lex," he maintained a law office in Wilmington and homes in Wilmington and in Rehoboth Beach.
He was a partner in Bayard, Bill & Handelman, a law firm that lists major corporations and national organizations among its clients. Reorganized last year, the firm is now Bayard, Handelman & Murdoch.
A graduate of the University of Virginia Law School, he was admitted to the bar in 1948 and entered into politics.
His politics raised eyebrows. On his mother's side, he was a du Pont, a family that was traditionally Republican, but he proved to be a liberal Democrat, a self-described Adlai Stevenson man.
He was elected lieutenant governor in his first race, serving with Gov. Elbert N. Carvel, also a Democrat, from 1949 to 1953. At age 30, he became the youngest person elected to the state's second-highest office.
After a single term, he turned his attention to national politics. Five generations of Bayards had represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate, and his decision in 1952 to run against Sen. John J. Williams came as no surprise.
Political leaders of the day said that his timing was wrong. He ran as a Stevenson liberal against a man he said he found far too conservative, too cold to human needs. A landslide vote for Dwight D. Eisenhower boosted Williams, who was popular himself, to victory.
Party leaders of the period remembered Mr. Bayard as a gentle, humble, compassionate man.
"He gave our party stature," said Henry Topel, who was state chairman from 1970 to 1982.
"Lex was a very sensitive person, a man proud of his heritage," Carvel said.
Despite his loss to Williams, Mr. Bayard remained devoted to the party. In 1954 he served as campaign chairman of the Delaware Democratic Committee, and in 1967 he was named state Democratic chairman, a post he held for two years.
In 1970, he was named a member of the finance committee of the Democratic National Committee, a position he held until he died.
Active in civic affairs, he was former chairman of the Delaware River and Bay Authority, a director of the Mellon Bank of Delaware and of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Mr. Bayard also served in numerous posts with the Red Cross and the March of Dimes.
A Wilmington native, he attended St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., and graduated from Princeton University in 1940. World War II interrupted his decision to pursue legal studies. He entered the Marine Corps.
During the battle of Iwo Jima, Marine Lt. Bayard was directing covering fire while a patrol from Easy Company, Second Battalion, 28th Marines, climbed Mount Suribachi. He was wounded in the battle, and he recalled in a recent interview that he and a sergeant, both out of ammunition, held an area against the Japanese by throwing C-rations at them.
"They heard 'em land and figured they were grenades. That kept them pinned down," he said. "Best damned use for C-rations I ever heard."
He is survived by five sons, Alexis I. du Pont Jr., Eugene H., Richard H., John F. and William B.; a daughter, Jane H. Curley; a brother, and two sisters.
A memorial service is to be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Christ Church Christiana Hundred. Contributions may be made in his name to the University of Delaware Law School.
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