| Thomas Alexander Mellon | |
| Born | February 3, 1813 Cappagh, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Died | February 3, 1908 (aged 95) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania U.S. |
| Occupation | Lawyer, judge, banker |
| Spouse | Sarah Jane Negley |
Thomas Alexander Mellon (February 3, 1813 – February 3, 1908) was an Irish-American entrepreneur, lawyer, and judge, best known as the founder of Mellon Bank and patriarch of the Mellon family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1813 ( MDCCCXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Cappagh ( is a small Village in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1813 ( MDCCCXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An entrepreneur is a person who has possession over a company enterprise, or Venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law as an attorney, Counsel or Solicitor; a person A judge, or justice, is an Official who presides over a Court of law Mellon Financial Corporation, ( was one of the world's largest money management firms The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern
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Early life
Mellon was born to farmers Andrew and Rebecca Wauchob Mellon on February 3, 1813, at Camp Hill Cottage, Lower Castletown, parish of Cappagh, County Tyrone, Ireland. Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1813 ( MDCCCXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Cappagh ( is a small Village in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world His family had come into Ireland from Scotland around the middle of the seventeenth century. In 1816, his great-grandfather, Archibald Mellon, emigrated to the United States, settling in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Westmoreland County is a County located in the US state of Pennsylvania. Andrew and his family followed two years later. [1]
Mellon wrote in his autobiography that at the age of ten, he had been struck by "wealth and magnificence I had before no conception of" upon viewing the mansion of prominent landowners Jacob and Barbara Ann Negley. [2] At fourteen, he read the The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and became inspired by Franklin's rags-to-riches tale. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the traditional name for the unfinished record of his own life written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790 however Franklin himself [2] Deciding he would not be a farmer, he enrolled at the Western University of Pennsylvania, now known as the University of Pittsburgh in October 1834, graduating in 1837. The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a non-sectarian coeducational independent state-related, "public" research University The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a non-sectarian coeducational independent state-related, "public" research University
Career
After graduation, he obtained work in a Pittsburgh law office, and became clerk for the Allegheny County prothonotary. Allegheny County is a County in the southwestern part of the U The word prothonotary is recorded in English since 1447 as "principal clerk of a court" from L He was himself admitted to the bar on December 15, 1838, and opened his own law firm, focusing on civil cases. A bar association is a Professional body of Lawyers Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their Jurisdiction Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Year 1838 ( MDCCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common [1]
On August 22, 1843, he married Sarah Jane Negley, daughter of Jacob and Barbara and sister of James S. Negley, after a long—and frustrating—courtship. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 1843 ( MDCCCXLIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common James Scott Negley ( December 26 1826 &ndash August 7 1901) was an American Civil War General, farmer railroader [3] Soon thereafter, he embarked on a long and successful legal career in Pittsburgh. In 1859, he was elected assistant Judge of the Common Pleas Court of Allegheny County, and on December 1 began a ten-year judicial career. In United States Jurisprudence, Court of Common Pleas is a Court of certain jurisdiction
Mellon invested the proceeds from his legal work shrewdly, buying up large portions of downtown Pittsburgh real estate. In late 1869, he decided to retire from the bench, and rather than return to the legal profession, "concluded to open a banking house. "[2] On January 2, 1870, he opened the T. Events 366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers invading the Roman Empire. Year 1870 ( MDCCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Mellon & Sons' Bank with his sons Andrew W. and Richard B.[4] Above the cast iron door of the original bank building at 514 Smithfield Street was placed a near life-sized statue of his inspiration, Benjamin Franklin. Andrew William Mellon ( March 24 1855 &mdash August 27 1937) was an American banker industrialist philanthropist art collector Richard Beatty Mellon ( March 19, 1858 –December 1933 sometimes R Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but identifies a large group of Ferrous Alloys which solidify with a Eutectic. [4]
He nearly lost his estate in the Panic of 1873—an economic depression in which half of Pittsburgh's ninety organized banks and twelve private banks failed[5]—but prevailed, and was well placed to prosper when the economy again began to expand. The Panic of 1873 was the start of the Long Depression, a severe nationwide economic depression in the United States that lasted until 1879 Shrewd investments included real estate holdings in downtown Pittsburgh, coal fields, and a $10,000 loan to Henry Clay Frick in 1871, which would provide the coke for Andrew Carnegie's steel mills. Henry Clay Frick ( December 19 1849 &ndash December 2 1919) was an American industrialist and art patron once Year 1871 ( MDCCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Andrew Carnegie (properly kɑrˈneɪgi but commonly /ˈkɑrnɨgi/ or /kɑrˈnɛgi/ (25 November 1835 – 11 August 1919 was a Scottish -born American Industrialist [4]
On January 5, 1882, he retired from day-to-day management of the bank's affairs, handing it to his 27-year old son, Andrew. Events 1477 - Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is killed and Burgundy becomes part of France. Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Andrew William Mellon ( March 24 1855 &mdash August 27 1937) was an American banker industrialist philanthropist art collector Under A. W. and R.B.'s management, Mellon Bank was by the end of the century the largest banking institution in the country outside of New York. Richard Beatty Mellon ( March 19, 1858 –December 1933 sometimes R New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous [1] He divested himself of most of the rest of his property on February 3, 1890, leaving it in the hands of his sons. Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common [4]
He died on his birthday, February 3, 1908 at his home in East Liberty. Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year East Liberty is a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 's East End. [1]. He was survived by his wife, who lived for about a year after his death, and four children. Thomas Mellon and his wife Sarah are buried in Pittsburgh's Allegheny Cemetery. Allegheny Cemetery is one of the largest oldest and most picturesque burial grounds in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Family and personal life
Mellon was Presbyterian by faith. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity Though not devoutly religious[4], he was a member and supporter of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, the land for which had been originally contributed by the Negley family.
He maintained a "country house" at 491 North Negley Avenue in East Liberty, where he indulged a passion for horticulture, raising fruit trees and other crops. [4] He also took an interest in the poetry of Robert Burns and in the history of Ireland. Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796 (also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, the Bard of Ayrshire He was said to have remarked "the only way to settle the Irish question would be to sink the island. "[4]
Thomas and Sarah Mellon had eight children, five of whom survived to adulthood:
- Thomas Alexander "Tom" Mellon, born June 26, 1844, married to Mary C. Caldwell, sister of Alexander Caldwell; father of Thomas Alexander Mellon II and Edward Purcell Mellon;
- James Ross "Jim" Mellon, born January 14, 1846, married to Rachel Hughey Larimer, daughter of William Larimer; parents of William Larimer Mellon
- Sarah Emma Mellon (died in childhood)
- Annie Rebecca Mellon (died in childhood)
- Samuel Selwyn Mellon (died 1862, at age 9)
- Andrew W. "A.W." Mellon born March 24, 1855;
- Richard Beatty "R.B." Mellon, born March 19, 1858, married to Jennie King, daughter of Alexander and Cordelia King
- George Negley Mellon, born June 30, 1860, died April 15, 1887. Alexander Caldwell ( March 1, 1830 - May 19, 1917) was a US Senator from Kansas. William Larimer Jr (1809-1875 was an American settler and land developer William Larimer Mellon Sr ( 1 June 1868 –October 1949 sometimes referred to as W Andrew William Mellon ( March 24 1855 &mdash August 27 1937) was an American banker industrialist philanthropist art collector Richard Beatty Mellon ( March 19, 1858 –December 1933 sometimes R
Mellon entrusted his sons with business ventures from very early ages. By the age of 21, his son Tom had raised, with his son Jim, some $100,000 operating a nursery, lumber yard and construction supply business, and Andrew was managing a theatre at the age of 17. [4]. Well-prepared for business, the Mellon family ranked among the wealthiest and most prominent industrialists in the United States by the time of Judge Mellon's death in 1908.
References
- ^ a b c d Rook, Charles Alexander, et al, eds. Western Pennsylvanians: A Work for Newspaper and Library Reference, Western Pennsylvania Biographical Association (Pittsburgh, 1923), p390.
- ^ a b c Mellon, Thomas, Thomas Mellon and His Times, University of Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, 1994).
- ^ Steele, Bruce. "Thomas Mellon and His Times," University Times, Vol. 27, No. 6, 10 November 1994. University of Pittsburgh
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mellon, William Larimer and Sparkes, Boyden, Judge Mellon's Sons, 1948.
- ^ McCullough, C. Hax Jr. "The World of Thomas Mellon," Allegheny Cemetery, accessed 16 May 2006.
External links
- Mellon Homestead, birthplace of Thomas Mellon and part of the Ulster American Folk Park in County Tyrone
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mellon, Thomas Alexander |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mellon, T. The Ulster American Folk Park is an open-air museum in Castletown just outside Omagh, in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. A. |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Founder of Mellon Bank, patriarch of the Mellon family of Pennsylvania. Mellon Financial Corporation, ( was one of the world's largest money management firms |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 3, 1813 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cappagh, County Tyrone, Ulster, Northern Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 3, 1908 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania U.S. |
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