Shapiro, Irving S. (Irving Saul), 1916-2001

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 15 July 1916. Died on 13 September 2001. Education: B.S., Pre-law, University of Minnesota (1939), L.L.B., University of Minnesota (1941). Employment: 1941 Private Practice; 1941-1943 U. S. Office of Price Administration; 1843-1951 U.S. Department of Justice; 1951-1981 E. I. duPont de Nemours and Company, Inc.; 1981-1990 Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom.

Irving Saul Shapiro was born on July 15, 1916, in Minneapolis, Minn., the eldest of three sons of Lithuanian Jewish immigrants. He attended the University of Minnesota, receiving a B.S. degree in 1939 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1941. Shapiro began his legal career in January 1942 at the Office of Price Administration in Washington, D.C., and moved to the Dept. of Justice in 1948.

Shapiro joined E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company in 1951, taking a position in the Antitrust Division of the Legal Dept. He played a major role in the 1957-1965 antitrust proceedings under which Du Pont was required to divest itself of its stockholdings in General Motors. After the trial, he was appointed Assistant General Counsel. In 1970 he was elected Senior Vice President and member of the Executive Committee, and in 1973 he was named to the new position of Vice Chairman. On January 1, 1974, Shapiro was elected Chairman and CEO, succeeding Charles B. McCoy. In addition to his duties at Du Pont, Shapiro chaired the Business Roundtable in 1976-1978. He retired from Du Pont in 1981 and was elected a partner in the Delaware office of the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He resigned the partnership in 1990 but remained active with the firm until his death near Wilmington on September 13, 2001.