Paul Mellon (1907-1999)

B-41

Paul Mellon, one of the foremost American philanthropists of the 20th century, lived nearby. An heir to the vast banking and industrial fortune left by his father, Andrew W. Mellon, he supported universities, civic improvement projects, conservation efforts, and fine-arts institutions. With his second wife, Rachel “Bunny” Lambert Mellon, he amassed a world-renowned art collection, donated more than 1,000 objects to the National Gallery of Art, and made substantial contributions to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Mellon achieved international success as a breeder of racehorses. In 1975, he donated land to Virginia for the creation of Sky Meadows State Park, about five miles west of here.

Department of Historic Resources, 2018

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References/Bibliographic Citation:

Washington Post, 22 Nov. 1975, 3 Feb. 1999, 17 March 2014. The Independent, 3 Feb. 1999. New York Times, 3 Feb. 1999, 17 March 2014. Paul Mellon, with John Baskett, Reflections in a Silver Spoon: A Memoir (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1992). Francis Marion Bush, Paul Mellon: Visionary of the Turf (North Charleston, SC: Booksurge LLC, 2006). Pat Ryan, “A Man of Arts and Letters,” Sports Illustrated (16 March 1970). Ben Swenson, “The Mellon Legacy,” Virginia Living (16 May 2018). www.treasury.gov/about/history/pages/awmellon