# Mellon family Canonical: https://web4.xpay.bi/en/wiki/wp-en-19914655/ Language: en Published: 2026-10-30T20:18:26.836Z Updated: 2026-10-30T20:18:26.836Z The Mellon family is a wealthy and influential American family from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The family includes Andrew Mellon, one of the longest serving U.S. Treasury Secretaries, while other members worked in the judicial, banking, financial, business, and political professions. Other notable figures include the prominent banker R.B. Mellon and his son R.K. Mellon, who provided fundi ## Key facts ## Overview The Mellon family is a wealthy and influential American family from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The family includes Andrew Mellon, one of the longest serving U.S. Treasury Secretaries, while other members worked in the judicial, banking, financial, business, and political professions. Other notable figures include the prominent banker R.B. Mellon and his son R.K. Mellon, who provided funding and leadership for the first Pittsburgh Renaissance. ## History The American branch of the Mellon family traces its origins to County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. In 1816, Archibald Mellon emigrated from Ireland to the United States and set up residence in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Two years later, Archibald was joined by his son, Andrew, and his family. The family's wealth originated with Mellon Bank, founded in 1869 by Archibald's grandson, Thomas Mellon. Under the direction of Thomas's son, Andrew William Mellon, the Mellons became principal investors and majority owners of Gulf Oil (which merged with Chevron Corporation in 1985), Alcoa (since 1886), The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (since 1970), Koppers (since 1912), New York Shipbuilding (1899–1968) and Carborundum Corporation, as well as their major financial and ownership influence on Westinghouse Electric, H.J. Heinz Company, Newsweek, U.S. Steel, First Boston Corporation and General Motors. The family bank later became part of BNY Mellon. The family also founded the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., donating both art works and funds, and is a patron to the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Yale University, the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti, and with art the University of Virginia. Carnegie Mellon University, and its Mellon College of Science, is named in honor of the family, as well as for its founder, Andrew Carnegie, who was a close associate of the Mellons. The family's founding patriarch was Judge Thomas Mellon (1813–1908), the son of Andrew Mellon and Rebecca Wauchob, who were Scotch-Irish farmers from Camp Hill Cottage, in Lower Castletown, County Tyrone, Ireland, and emigrated to what is now the Pittsburgh suburb of north-central Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The family can be divided into four branches: the descendants of Thomas Alexander Mellon Jr, of James Ross Mellon, of Andrew William Mellon, and of Richard Beatty Mellon. The Mellon family are members of the Episcopal Church. ## Prominent members Thomas Mellon (1813–1908), judge and founder of the Mellon Bank; married Sarah Jane Negley of Pittsburgh. As a boy he decided to abandon his parents' farming lifestyle for law and banking in the city after reading Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. Andrew William Mellon (1855–1937), banker and one of the longest-serving U.S. Treasury secretaries; namesake of the Andrew Mellon Building and Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, both in Washington, D.C. Richard Beatty Mellon (1858–1933), banker, industrialist and philanthropist; married Jennie Taylor King William Larimer Mellon, Sr. (1868–1949), a founder of the Gulf Oil Corporation Matthew T. Mellon 1897–1992, scholar of history and literature, Nazi Party supporter, and Colby College trustee Richard King Mellon (1899–1970), financier, general, and philanthropist; married Constance Prosser McCaulley Sarah Mellon (1903–1965), heiress of investments in Mellon Bank, Gulf Oil and Alcoa; her husband was Alan Magee Scaife Paul Mellon (1907–1999), American philanthropist and an owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses. He was married to Rachel Lambert Mellon. William Larimer Mellon, Jr. (1910–1989), founder of the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti Cordelia Scaife May (1928–2005), recluse and funder of multiple anti-immigration organizations Richard Mellon Scaife (1932–2014), the chief sponsor of The Heritage Foundation and publisher of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review since 1970; first marriage was to Frances L. Gilmore (born December 2, 1934), second marriage was to Margaret "Ritchie" Battle (1947–2005) Timothy Mellon (b. 1942), chairman and majority owner of Pan Am Systems, a transportation holding company that was based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and was subsequently sold to CSX Transportation. Matthew Taylor Mellon II (1964–2018), a chairman of the Republican Party Finance of New York and served as a regent director of finance for the Republican National Committee; founded or participated in multiple start-ups such as Jimmy Choo, Harrys of London, Hanley Mellon, Marquis Jets, Arrival Aviation and Challenge Capital Partners Mike Monroney (1902–1980), United States Senator from Oklahoma who wrote and sponsored legislation such as the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 and the Automobile Information Disclosure Act of 1958, the latter of which made him the namesake of the Monroney sticker; married to Mary Ellen Mellon of the Mellon family Christopher Mellon Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. ## Associates The following is a list of figures closely aligned with or subordinate to the Mellon family. ## Businesses The following is a list of companies in which the Mellon family have held a controlling or otherwise significant interest. ## Philanthropy and nonprofit institutions The following is a list of philanthropies and other non-profit institutions which were founded by or have otherwise been closely tied to the Mellon family. ## Bibliography Cannadine, David (2006). Mellon: An American Life. New York, United States: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-45032-7. Cannadine, David (2008) \[2006\]. Mellon: An American Life (First Vintage Books ed.). New York, United States: Random House, Inc. ISBN 978-0-307-38679-3. Cheape, Charles W. (1985). Family Firm to Modern Multinational: Norton Company, A New England Enterprise. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 55. ISBN 0-674-29261-8. Ingham, John N. (1983). Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders. Vol. 2. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-23908-8. Reginato, James (August 2010). "Bunny Mellon's Secret Garden". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 6, 2011. Spring, Joel (2011). The Politics of American Education. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-203-83899-0. "Mellon's Miracle". LIFE. New York City, NY: Time Inc. May 14, 1956. pp. 151–159. Retrieved March 4, 2024. ## External links Media related to Mellon family at Wikimedia Commons ## Sources - Mellon family · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=19914655 Source: Wikipedia contributors — https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=19914655&oldid=1378646890 Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Adaptation notice: Reformatted for XPay; the source may be abridged, restructured or translated. Consult the cited revision for the original.