Richard King Mellon

As the last great leader of the Pittsburgh-based Mellon financial dynasty, Richard K. Mellon used his status and wealth to help lead the city's famed renaissance in the 1950s.

Richard King Mellon was born on June 19, 1899 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His grandfather, Thomas Mellon, established the private bank of T. Mellon and Sons in 1869 after his retirement from a long career as a lawyer and judge. The Pittsburgh bank prospered and served as the foundation for the family's vast holdings throughout the nation.

Mellon had an outstanding relationship with his father, and this shaped much of his personality and interests. The Mellons had a family retreat in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, where they could hunt, fish, and ride horses. Father and son both loved the outdoors.

Mellon and his father spent the decade beginning in 1917 building Rolling Rock Farms and Country Club. What began as a simple log cabin developed into an 18,000-acre spread where the Mellon family could find solitude. Richard Beatty Mellon loved to entertain, so he had constructed a little club where he could be with family and friends. In time, the club became more elaborate and stables, a golf course, pool, and skiing facilities were added. Membership in the club was a token of esteem for Richard Beatty Mellon's friends. His son called the place a "horseman's paradise" and imported English foxhounds in 1921. Over the course of his life, Mellon would return to the club as often as possible. He never gave up his love of the outdoors.

Mellon served as President of Mellon Bank and also held directorships in numerous corporations around the United States. In those days, a directorship carried a great deal of influence and was a sign of utmost respect. By 1937, Mellon held 34 directorships. He had a hand in nearly every business activity in the Pittsburgh region and also served on the boards of General Motors, Gulf Oil, and other Fortune 500 corporations.

After the war, Mellon committed himself to revitalizing Pittsburgh, which had become an industrial eyesore and an environmental disaster. Pittsburgh's deterioration and sluggish growth threatened the economic well-being of the region. Many corporations were considering relocating to cities where they could attract young business leaders and offer them a better quality of life. In 1943, Mellon helped establish a group of city business leaders, known as the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, to help redevelop and rebuild the deteriorated city.

Mellon supported the committee's work, even when it hurt his own short-term interests. He could always be counted on to make phone calls to keep the business community in line. More importantly, Mellon cooperated with Pittsburgh Mayor David L. Lawrence, although the two had little in common and were on the opposite ends of the political spectrum. In fact, it was Mellon who pressured the Pennsylvania Railroad to reduce its smoke emissions to help Mayor Lawrence achieve his smoke control goals and clear the air over Pittsburgh once and for all.

The joint work of the business and political community vastly improved the quality of life in Pittsburgh. The city established pollution controls and built a downtown that is still the envy of many large cities. This was the nation's first privately financed urban redevelopment project. With the first wave of the renaissance complete, Lawrence credited the outcome to "the Mellon economic power."

Pittsburgh's renaissance included tearing down almost 100 old buildings and replacing them with skyscrapers and modern office buildings. The city converted old railway yards into a park and built dams to provide flood control. Pittsburgh's rebirth was an inspiration for similar efforts across the country, most notably in Cleveland and Baltimore.

Mellon remained an outdoors enthusiast throughout his life. He hunted big game in the Canadian Rockies and Alaska. He even built a stone mansion in Ligonier, called Huntland Downs, and commuted the 50 miles each way to Pittsburgh daily. Mellon's main recreational interests centered on hunting, fishing, riding, and breeding racehorses.

He died in Pittsburgh on June 3, 1970, just shy of his 71st birthday.

Source: www.bookrags.com

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