James Ross Mellon

James R. Mellon was one of the eight children of Judge Thomas Mellon (1813-1908), Mellon Bank founder and patriarch of the Mellon family of Pittsburgh, and Sarah (Negley) Mellon (1817-1909). James became a successful businessman, banker, prominent citizen, and philanthropist. Born January 14, 1846, James spent his childhood at the family home at 401 N. Negley Avenue in the East Liberty neighborhood in Pittsburgh's East End. James Mellon attended Jefferson College (now part of Washington and Jefferson College) in Canonsburg (Washington County), Pennsylvania, and received an A.B. degree in 1863. After graduation, James lived briefly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he obtained a position with the law offices of Finches, Lynde, and Miller in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Leavenworth, Kansas, where he met his future bride, Rachel Hughey Larimer. Eager to establish himself before being married, James returned home to lease the Osceola Coal Works from his father. After successful management of that company, he sold the Coal Works in 1867 and set up a lumber yard and builders supply business with his brother, Thomas Mellon (1843-1899), in East Liberty. Shortly thereafter, James Mellon married Rachel and brought her to Pittsburgh.

For a short time in 1870, James and Thomas Mellon managed the East End Bank of T. Mellon and Sons, the company which, under brother Andrew Mellon's (1855-1937) supervision, became one of the region's largest banks. James also founded the City Deposit Bank, becoming its president in 1898, and helped the family to finance the building of the Ligonier Valley Railroad, completed in 1877. Active in the community, James Mellon served on the boards and as an officer for numerous organizations, including the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Allegheny County Juvenile Court Farm, Athalia Daly Home for Working Girls, and the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. Mellon's club memberships included the Duquesne, University, and Automobile Clubs, as well as the Theta Delta Chi fraternity. James and Rachel Mellon had three children: William Larimer (1867-1949), a banker with Mellon Bank who became chairman of Gulf Oil Corporation; Lucille, who married George S. Hasbrouck, Jr.; and Thomas Alexander, who entered the construction business. James Mellon and his family lived at 400 Negley Avenue, across the street from James's parents. They also owned a mountain estate, Rachelwood, outside New Florence (Westmoreland County), Pennsylvania, and a winter home in Palatka, Florida. In James' later years, he donated a library to the town of Palatka and built an all-faith church, Church in the Wilderness, on his mountain estate. James died on October 20, 1934.

~ Guide to Papers of James R. Mellon,1857-1932 at Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, PA* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 21 2024, 9:28:16 UTC