The son of
Richard B. Mellon, nephew of
Andrew W. Mellon, and grandson of
Thomas Mellon, he and his sister
Sarah Mellon Scaife and cousins
Paul Mellon and
Ailsa Mellon-Bruce, were heirs to the Mellon fortune, which included major holdings in
Mellon Bank,
Gulf Oil, and
Alcoa. In 1957, when
Fortune prepared its first list of the
wealthiest Americans, it estimated that the four cousins were all amongst the richest eight people in the United States, with fortunes of between $400 million and $700 million each. R.K. Mellon served as president and chairman of Mellon Bank. He also served on the board of trustees of the
University of Pittsburgh over a span of several decades and was a major benefactor to the university.
Military service Mellon served in the
United States Army in both world wars and remained active in the
United States Army Reserve, receiving the
Distinguished Service Medal and rising to the rank of
lieutenant general.
Urban Renewal He is chiefly remembered for his
urban renewal efforts in
Pittsburgh, undertaken in an unlikely bipartisan (Mellon was a lifelong
Republican) partnership with the city's postwar
Democratic mayor
David L. Lawrence. After returning to the city following World War II, Mellon developed an interest in improving Pittsburgh's severe flooding, pollution, and urban blight. Under the auspices of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA), massive demolition and redevelopment projects transformed the city, backed politically by Lawrence and financially by Mellon and his companies. Mellon also used his economic power to push companies and landowners to comply with new regulations. In 1955 a redevelopment plan and federal funding were approved to coincide with the construction of a new
Civic Arena (1961–2010). The URA, with the support of R. K. Mellon, displaced 8,000 residents, businesses and churches. And while the Civic Arena and later Consol Energy Arena/
PPG Paints Arena were constructed in the area, dozens of acres of land still remain vacant. Mellon served as Vice President of
American Council to Improve Our Neighborhoods, an organization to promote for-profit private urban renewal projects. ==Family==