Only three years ago, the biggest and oldest family-led company in America, E.I. du Pont de Nemours of Wilmington, Del., was hip-deep in family troubles. Chairman Lammot du Pont Copeland was bogged down in his son's spectacular personal bankruptcy and other problems, and Du Font's industrial stature was sliding. So "Mots" Copeland was eased aside for Charles
Brelsford McCoy, the first chief executive in the chemical giant's 171-year history to have no direct Du Pont family ties. Under "Brel" McCoy, profits rose smartly, from $334 million on sales of $3.6 billion in 1970 to $414 million on sales of $4.4...