Paul Mellon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Mellon
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Mellon standing next to two horses
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| Born | June 11, 1907 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Died | February 1, 1999 (aged 91) Upperville, Virginia, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Yale University (BA) Clare College, Cambridge (BA, MA) |
| Occupation | Businessman Corporate investor Racehorse owner/breeder Philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Conover Brown
(m. 1935; died 1946)Rachel Lambert Lloyd
(m. 1948–1999) |
| Children | Catherine, Timothy |
| Parent(s) | Andrew W. Mellon Nora McMullen |
| Honors |
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ |
United States Army |
| Rank | Major |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal |
Paul Mellon (June 11, 1907 – February 1, 1999) was an American who loved to give back. He was a generous philanthropist, meaning he donated a lot of money to good causes. He was also famous for owning and breeding thoroughbred racehorses.
Paul Mellon is one of only five people ever called an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. This means he was a true role model in the world of horse racing. He came from a very wealthy family. His grandfather, Thomas Mellon, and his father, Andrew W. Mellon, helped create the Mellon Bank. In the 1950s, Paul Mellon was considered one of the richest people in the United States.
Paul Mellon wrote a book about his life called Reflections in a Silver Spoon in 1992. He passed away at his home in Upperville, Virginia, on February 1, 1999.
Paul Mellon was married twice. His first wife was Mary Conover Brown, from 1935 until she passed away in 1946. They had two children, Catherine and Timothy Mellon. In 1948, Paul Mellon married his second wife, Rachel Lambert Mellon, who was also known as Bunny. Bunny had two children from a previous marriage.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Paul Mellon was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 11, 1907. His father was Andrew W. Mellon, who served as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1921 to 1932. His mother was Nora McMullen from England. Paul's parents divorced when he was five years old.
He went to The Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut, and graduated in 1925. While there, he wrote for the school's literary magazine. After Choate, he attended Yale College. At Yale, he was part of the Chi Psi fraternity and the secret society Scroll and Key. He also served as vice-chairman of the Yale Daily News newspaper.
Paul Mellon loved his old schools and gave them many gifts. He donated to the Forbes-Mellon Library at the University of Cambridge in England. He also gave money for the Mellon Arts Center and the Mellon Science Center (now called Icahn Science Center) at Choate. At Yale, he helped build two student dorms, Ezra Stiles and Morse College, and the Yale Center for British Art.
In 1930, while studying in England, he helped start the CRABS, which stands for the Clare Rugby And Boating Society. This is the oldest student society still active at Clare College, Cambridge. He received a special master's degree from Clare College in 1938. He also gave a lot of money to Clare College's Forbes-Mellon Library, which opened in 1986.
After graduating from Yale University, he went to England to study at the University of Cambridge. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1931. During this time, his father was the U.S. Ambassador to England.
Paul Mellon's Career and Service
After finishing his studies, Paul Mellon returned to Pittsburgh. He worked for his family's business, Mellon Bank, and other companies for about six months.
In 1940, he started studying at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. However, six months later, he joined the United States Army. He specifically asked to join the cavalry, which used horses. Mellon served in Europe with a special group called the Morale Operations Branch of the Office of Strategic Services. He became a major and received four battle stars for his service in Europe.
A Love for Art and Museums
Paul Mellon didn't have the same interest in business as his father. But they both shared a strong love for art and giving to others. Before his father, Andrew Mellon, passed away in 1937, construction began on the West Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.. Andrew Mellon had provided the money for this building.
Four years later, Paul Mellon gave the completed building and his father's collection of 115 paintings to the nation. He was a very active member of the museum's board for over 40 years. He served in many roles, including president and chairman. Paul Mellon also asked I. M. Pei to design the East Building of the museum. He and his sister, Ailsa, paid for its construction in the late 1970s. Over the years, Paul and his wife Bunny donated more than 1,000 artworks to the National Gallery of Art. These included many famous French and American paintings.
In 1936, Mellon bought his first British painting. It was Pumpkin with a Stable-lad by George Stubbs. Stubbs became one of Mellon's favorite artists. Starting in the late 1950s, Mellon built a huge collection of British art. A London art dealer once said that it took an American collector like Mellon to make the English truly appreciate their own paintings again.
Mellon gave his large collection of British art, rare books, and related items to Yale University in the 1960s. He also provided money to build a special museum to hold it. He insisted that the museum not be named after him. Instead, it was called the Yale Center for British Art. This was to encourage others to support it too. Mellon also gave a lot of money to help the center operate and buy new art. He left even more money to the center when he passed away. The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art was started in London in 1970. It is connected to the Yale center and helps people study British art and culture.
Mellon also made important donations to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, and to Choate Rosemary Hall.
Rokeby Stables and Racehorses
Paul Mellon owned many successful thoroughbred horses through his Rokeby Stables. One of his horses, Sea Hero, won the famous Kentucky Derby. Two other horses he owned, Arts and Letters and Fort Marcy, were named "American Horse of the Year" in 1969 and 1970. Both of these horses are now in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
He also owned three European champion horses: Mill Reef, Forrest Flower, and Gold and Ivory. Mill Reef was ranked as one of the top horses of the 20th Century. Paul Mellon won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder twice, in 1971 and 1986. This award recognizes the best horse breeders.
Helping Others Through Foundations
Paul Mellon created two foundations to support learning and the humanities. He started the Old Dominion Foundation in 1941 and the Bollingen Foundation in 1945. The Bollingen Foundation published over 100 books before it closed in 1969. In the same year, the money from the Old Dominion Foundation was combined with his sister Ailsa's Avalon Foundation. The new, larger organization was named The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to honor their father.
Supporting Yale University
Paul Mellon's main focus for his giving was his old school, Yale University. His most famous gifts helped create the Yale Center for British Art. But his generosity can be seen all over the campus.
Another major gift from Mellon was providing money to build two new dorms for undergraduate students at Yale. These were Ezra Stiles College and Morse College. These buildings, along with the British Art Center, showed Mellon's interest in bringing modern architecture to Yale. These new dorms were very important because they allowed Yale to accept more students, which helped the university become co-educational (meaning both male and female students).
Beyond these buildings, Mellon also provided money to support the leaders of each of Yale's 12 student dorms. He created the Mellon Senior Forum program. This program provides a weekly meal for senior students in each dorm. During these meals, students can share their progress on their final projects and essays.
Mellon also supported the humanities at Yale. He provided the money to create the Directed Studies program. This program gives first-year students an intense focus on the humanities. He also greatly supported the undergraduate theater studies program. He also funded special professorships (teaching positions) in different schools across the university, especially in the humanities.
Other Important Donations
Paul Mellon strongly supported causes that helped horses. This included the United States Jockey Club's Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. This organization gives money to research projects that help make racehorses safer, healthier, and live longer.
He donated the $1 million bonus that his horse Sea Hero won in the Chrysler Triple Crown Challenge to this foundation. He also asked for double that amount to be raised in response to his donation, and that goal was met. When he passed away, he left another $2.5 million to the Foundation.
In 1999, Paul Mellon left $8 million to the University of Cambridge in England for the Fitzwilliam Museum. During his life, he agreed that £1 million of that money could be used for the museum's courtyard development. After he passed away, his executors gave another $12.5 million to finish the renovations, including new lighting for all the museum's galleries. The rest of the money was added to the Paul Mellon Fund. This fund helps support education, exhibitions, and publications at the museum.
He also helped buy land for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the Sky Meadows State Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. He used to visit Sky Meadows to look at the stars.
He was also a major supporter of Clare College and Clare Hall, both in Cambridge, England. Clare Hall, founded in 1966, greatly benefited from his gifts. His generous donation helps meet the learning needs of the graduate students there. The Mellon Fellowship is another example of his generosity. It allows two students from Yale and two from Clare College to study at each other's universities.
Paul Mellon developed a great love for England and English culture while studying at Clare College from 1929 to 1931. He once said, "It was while I was at Cambridge that I embarked on the dangerous seas of collecting." He called himself "the incurable collector," and his passion had a huge impact on the museums and institutions he supported in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Mellon also helped arrange the merger of the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research (founded by his father and uncle) with Andrew Carnegie's Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1967. This created Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He also gave a lot of money to Carnegie Mellon.
Honors and Special Awards
Paul Mellon was a trustee of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He was one of only five people ever called an "Exemplar of Racing" by the Hall of Fame. He was also added to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the English Jockey Club Hall of Fame.
He received many honors during his life. He was chosen to be part of the American Philosophical Society in 1971. In 1974, he was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE). He received the National Medal of Arts in 1985. In 1992, he became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was also awarded the National Humanities Medal in 1997.
In 1978, Mellon received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen. This award is given out every year by the Jefferson Awards.
Personal Life and Family
In 1935, Paul Mellon married Mary Conover Brown. They had two children, Catherine and Timothy Mellon. The family moved to Virginia.
After his wife Mary passed away in 1946, he married Rachel Lambert Mellon, who was known as "Bunny." Bunny Mellon was a very skilled gardener and loved plants. She also loved French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, as well as American art. Paul Mellon came to share her love for these art styles. Through this marriage, he gained two stepchildren.
Images for kids
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Mellon standing next to two horses
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Plaque to Mellon, American philanthropist and galloping anglophile within St George's, Bloomsbury
