The Company’s Moral Bargain

This flow traces the company’s recurring choices between commercial advantage and ethical limits, from land acquisition to ecological destruction.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Trade With the Enemy

Trade With the Enemy Profit Across Borders Duquet trades through English connections despite imperial conflict, treating political allegiance as secondary to commercial opportunity. A Durable Pattern The company’s later business likewise crosses legal, political, and moral boundaries when profit is at stake.

Land at Giveaway Prices

Land at Giveaway Prices Legal Evasion Duke’s agents use dummy settlers, preemption claims, and homestead paperwork to secure valuable forestland. Business as Usual The company treats fraud and political influence as routine tools rather than exceptional moral failures.

War Profits

War Profits Government Contracts The company profits from surging government demand, including lumber that does not meet the quality billed. Reputation Management Public philanthropy and praise for workers help sustain an image of moral respectability alongside exploitation.

The Kauri Decision

The Kauri Decision Restoration Promise Lavinia and Dieter promise a kauri nursery and future planting in New Zealand. Reversal Under Pressure When financial losses mount, Lavinia orders the remaining ancient trees cut, choosing solvency over a promise to restore.

The Final Sale

The Final Sale Unresolved Heirs The company fears a claim from Indigenous descendants but does not establish whether living heirs will pursue it. Corporate Exit Breitsprecher-Duke sells to International Paper, closing a family era without resolving the moral question of who built its wealth.

Early eighteenth century, as Duquet enters colonial markets

Nineteenth century, during western expansion

During the American Civil War

After the Chicago fire and company losses

After Tetrazinni’s death