Product Description

This autobiography of Thomas Mellon, entrepreneur, judge and banker, was written in 1885 for the interest of his own family. It tells how Mellon, starting as poor farm-boy, caught the tide of the American economy in the second half of the 19th century, and made his fortune.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1922921 in Books
• Published on: 1995-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 560 pages

From Booklist
Although his sons, particularly Andrew Mellon, are better known to the general public, it was Thomas Mellon who laid the basis for one of the great fortunes of the early-twentieth-century U.S. He was born in 1813 in Ireland's Ulster province and immigrated with his family to America at the age of five. When he was 17, he rejected his father's plans to set him up as a yeoman farmer and launched his own plans, which led to his brilliant career as a jurist, banker, and businessman. In 1885 Mellon published his autobiography, primarily for the benefit of his progeny rather than for the general public. Until this reissuance by the University of Pittsburgh Press, the complete text was not readily available. Mellon lived through the massive territorial and economic expansion of America, as well as the Civil War, and yet provides few insights into the great events that swirled around him. In his personal observations, he often comes across as a poster boy for the politically incorrect: Indians are lazy and untrustworthy, and the poor deserve their poverty because they won't work to escape it. However, as a memoir of one man's personal journey from the Old World to the New and from an agrarian to an industrial society, Mellon's story is compelling, often surprisingly touching, and a valuable piece of Americana. Jay Freeman

From Kirkus Reviews
A vastly engrossing 19th-century rags-to-riches autobiography by the somewhat priggish, but shrewd and observant, founder of the Mellon family fortune. Thomas Mellon (18131908) wrote this 1885 memoir solely as a ``memento of affection'' for his descendants, anticipating ``that it will not be for sale in bookstores, nor any new edition published.'' Mellon was born in Ireland to farmers of modest means who emigrated to Poverty Point, near Pittsburgh, when he was five years old. He recounts a happy, if Spartan, upbringing there on his father's farm. A visit to Pittsburgh impressed the nine-year-old Mellon with the magnificence of the city, and at the age of 17, deciding against farming in favor of getting an education, Mellon suddenly stopped his father from purchasing a farm for him. Interspersing college attendance with teaching and farm chores, Mellon attended Western University in Pittsburgh, read law with a prominent Pittsburgh attorney, and became a member of the bar in 1838. He married in 1843 and had eight children; became an eminent lawyer and judge and a successful investor; and founded a predecessor of the Mellon Bank in 1870. Mellon's narrative of his happy family life and prominent, though not terribly eventful, career forms the backdrop for a wide variety of opinions and observations, sage and otherwise: on the importance of marrying for discretion rather than love; on the heavy responsibilities of a judge; on the Great Panic of 1873; on the declining work ethic and increased crime rate Mellon saw around him in newly industrialized America; and on the (not always positive) transformative effects of new inventions created in his lifetime. A charming memoir with some surprisingly meditative reflections, by an entrepreneurial leader of the time, on the bewildering changes wrought by 19th-century industrialism. (Photos and maps) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

A Great Role Model
I enjoyed reading this very interesting book. It along with the autobiographies of Ben Franklin and Andrew Carnegie give many insights on how to raise yourself up from poverty and contribute to society.

His insights on the court system based on his 10 years as a judge I think are useful today. Read this before hiring an attorney or going to court.

Most tantelizing are his descriptions on how he raised and related to his children and helped them to become successful. He clearly was a stern, strict Presbyterian. But at the same time he was a warm loving parent. His insights on how to raise children to be both successful and close to their parents are more useful than most current child rearing books.

And of course for many the most useful part of this book is his description of how he raised himself up from a poor immigrant farmer to the founder of one of America's most wealthy families.

I come from a very poor family and now own my own business. I have adult children who I have a good relationship with. I have read this book 3 times over the last 10 years. Each time I get more insights on how to lead a better more successful life.

I have probably read 200 books in the last 10 years. I think this is one of the best. And one I enjoyingly return to every 2 to 5 years.