aul Mellon was a great patron of the arts, a generous benefactor of cultural
and educational institutions, and a man who devoted his life to sharing the benefits of the immense fortune
that he inherited. The son of industrialist / philanthropist Andrew W. Mellon, Paul Mellon was born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1907. Mellon graduated from Yale University in 1929, and attended Cambridge University
in England, receiving degrees in 1931 and 1938. He became a Virginia resident in 1936, establishing himself at "Rokeby," an estate
in Upperville.
After serving in the army during World War II, Mellon retired to a life of philanthropy. He spent more than fifty years
amassing a rich collection of art, developing his library of American rarities, and breeding champion horses.
Paul Mellon repeatedly proved himself
to be a constant, quiet, and generous supporter of the Virginia Historical Society.
Following up his gift through the Old Dominion
Foundation, which substantially underwrote the construction of the 1958 addition to the Society's headquarters, he was again
a major contributor to the Fifth Century Campaign that added the 1992 wing. In 1997 he presented the splendid
"War Horse" statue, a poignant memorial to equine suffering during the Civil War that has since become a Richmond
landmark. In death, as in life, his
charity exceeded all expectations.
aul Mellon was a great patron of the arts, a generous benefactor of cultural
and educational institutions, and a man who devoted his life to sharing the benefits of the immense fortune
that he inherited. The son of industrialist / philanthropist Andrew W. Mellon, Paul Mellon was born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1907. Mellon graduated from Yale University in 1929, and attended Cambridge University
in England, receiving degrees in 1931 and 1938. He became a Virginia resident in 1936, establishing himself at "Rokeby," an estate
in Upperville.
After serving in the army during World War II, Mellon retired to a life of philanthropy. He spent more than fifty years
amassing a rich collection of art, developing his library of American rarities, and breeding champion horses.
Paul Mellon repeatedly proved himself
to be a constant, quiet, and generous supporter of the Virginia Historical Society.
Following up his gift through the Old Dominion
Foundation, which substantially underwrote the construction of the 1958 addition to the Society's headquarters, he was again
a major contributor to the Fifth Century Campaign that added the 1992 wing. In 1997 he presented the splendid
"War Horse" statue, a poignant memorial to equine suffering during the Civil War that has since become a Richmond
landmark. In death, as in life, his
charity exceeded all expectations.
