He was born in
Syros, the son of Georgios Melas, a member of the
Filiki Eteria and the scion of a distinguished
Epirote family. He studied law in
Paris and became involved with commerce at an early age, importing Russian wheat to
London and
Marseille. From these activities he amassed a large fortune. In 1874, Melas settled permanently in
Athens, where he soon achieved a distinguished place among Athenian high society. He played a crucial role in the foundation of the Athens Club in 1875, the Greek capital's oldest and most exclusive
gentlemen's club, and served as its president in 1882–1886 and 1888–1897. In 1890, he was elected to the
Greek Parliament for
Attica. He became mayor of Athens in 1891, holding the office until 1894, after an unsuccessful first attempt in 1883, when he lost to
Dimitrios Soutsos. Melas also served in the founding board of the
Hellenic Red Cross, and as chairman of the
Ethniki Etaireia, a secret nationalist society, which played a major role in the outbreak of the disastrous
Greco-Turkish War of 1897. Melas is also notable as one of the first Athenians to build a house in
Kifissia, then a suburban summer resort for the capital's wealthy families. He was also an avid art collector, and during his stay in Marseille, he chaired the local French Cultural Club for several years. In 1886–1888, he served as president of the
Filekpaideftiki Etaireia ("Learned Society"), a charitable educational society founded in 1836. == Family ==