He was born on April 27, 1876, to J. Sears La Du and Julia L. (Warner) La Du.
He was Division Engineer of the Eastern Division of the State Canals under John A. Bensel, and in 1914 was appointed Special Deputy State Engineer, a post he retained under Frank M. Williams. He resigned in the fall of 1918, and ran for State Engineer and Surveyor on the Democratic ticket in November 1918, but was defeated by Williams. In 1922, he ran again, and was elected, being in office from 1923 to 1924, but was defeated again for re-election in 1924 by RepublicanRoy G. Finch.
^"Dwight B. La Du". The New York Times. August 18, 1954. Retrieved 2012-10-09. Albany, New York. Dwight B. LaDu, the last elected state engineer and retired chairman of the Albany Port District Commission, died yesterday at his home here. (subscription required) [Note that the last elected State Engineer was his successor Roy G. Finch.]
Further reading
[1] Campaign expenses filed, in NYT on November 16, 1918