De Lue began his study of sculpture under Bela Pratt at the school of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, he was then employed as an assistant to sculptors, Richard Recchia and Robert P. Baker. He went to Paris during World War I and worked there with Alfredo Pina. In 1923, he moved to Lyons where he worked for Charles-Jules de Bert. He then was employed by Bryant Baker in Scotland and, after 1925, in New York.
De Lue's first commission came in 1940 with his execution of four panels for the Federal Court House in Philadephia. This, and several other architectural commissions, allowed him to open his own studio in New York in that same year. He created panels for the Harvey Firestone Memorial in Akron, Ohio, and the Edward Hull Crump Memorial in Memphis, Tennessee. His best known monumental works are the Spirit of American Youth, executed in 1952 for the United States Military Cemetery in Saint Laurent-sur-Mer, France; and The Rocket Thrower, a huge bronze figure designed for the 1964 New York World's Fair.
De Lue was a member of the National Sculpture Society, of which he served as president; he was also a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. From 1954 to 1957 he held the Academy office of assistant treasurer and was a member of the Council. Among his many awards was the Academy's Samuel F. B. Morse Medal conveyed in 1967.
