Timothy Mellon

Last updated
Timothy Mellon
Born (1942-07-22) July 22, 1942 (age 81)
NationalityAmerican
Education Yale University (BA)
OccupationBusinessman
Parent(s) Paul Mellon
Mary Conover
Relatives Andrew Mellon (grandfather)
Rachel Lambert Mellon (stepmother)

Timothy Mellon (born July 22, 1942) is an American businessman and was the chairman and majority owner of Pan Am Systems, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based [1] transportation holding company until 2022. [2] He is a grandson of Andrew Mellon and an heir to the Mellon banking fortune. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Mellon is the son of Paul Mellon and his first wife, Mary Conover Brown. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in city planning. [4] He is the grandson of Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon.

Career

He was the chief financier in the 1977 formation of Guilford Transportation Industries (GTI), [5] a holding company named for his native Guilford, Connecticut. In 1981, GTI purchased the Maine Central Railroad from U.S. Filter Corporation, adding the Boston & Maine and Delaware & Hudson railroads in 1983 and 1984, respectively, and in 1998 purchased the brand of bankrupt Pan American World Airways. The Pan Am name was subsequently succeeded by "Pan Am Clipper Connection," operated by subsidiary Boston-Maine Airways, which ceased operations in 2008 due to lack of financial fitness. [6] GTI was ultimately sold to the CSX Corporation.

Mellon stepped down as trustee of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in 2002 after 21 years on its board. [7]

Mellon moved to Wyoming from Connecticut in 2005. [3]

In 1999, Mellon purchased the Goodspeed Airport in East Haddam, Connecticut for $2.33 million. He sold it to New England Airport Associates, LLC in November 2020 for $891,000.

Political donations

In 2010, Mellon donated $1.5 million to Arizona's defense fund to help cover the costs of legal challenges against Arizona SB 1070, [8] the broadest and strictest anti-illegal immigration measure in the United States at the time of its passage. [9] [3] It has received national and international attention and has spurred considerable controversy. [10] [11]

In the 2018 election cycle, Mellon was a major political donor, especially to the Republican-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund. [12] According to OpenSecrets, in 2020 and 2022, he was the 6th and 5th most prolific donor in the US, spending $60 million and $47 million respectively to support Republican candidates and causes. [13]

Mellon's self-published autobiography describes his political views. [14] [15] Mellon called social safety net programs "Slavery Redux," adding: "For delivering their votes in the Federal Elections, they are awarded with yet more and more freebies: food stamps, cell phones, WIC payments, Obamacare, and on, and on, and on. The largess is funded by the hardworking folks, fewer and fewer in number, who are too honest or too proud to allow themselves to sink into this morass." Mellon wrote that as of 1984 (Reagan's re-election campaign), "Something had obviously gone dreadfully wrong with the Great Society and the Liberal onslaught. Poor people had become no less poor. Black people, in spite of heroic efforts by the 'Establishment' to right the wrongs of the past, became even more belligerent and unwilling to pitch in to improve their own situations," and that "Drugs rose to the level of epidemic. Single parent families became more and more prevalent. The likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton pandered endlessly to fan the flames." [14]

In August 2021, Mellon donated $53.1 million in stock to the State of Texas to pay for construction of walls along the US–Mexico border. [16]

In August 2023, it was revealed that Mellon donated $5 million via a Super PAC to the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [17]

On April 10, 2024, The New York Times reported that Mellon was the largest single donor to Kennedy's super PAC, giving $20 million over the past year and $15 million to Trump's super PAC MAGA Inc. [18]

Search for Amelia Earhart

Mellon donated over $1 million in 2012 to The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) as part of its efforts to locate Amelia Earhart's plane and remains. Mellon filed a racketeering lawsuit against TIGHAR in 2013, alleging that the non-profit organization engaged in deceit in soliciting his money to search for Amelia Earhart's missing plane. [19] Mellon claimed that the plane had already been found in 2010 before the donation was made. [20]

U.S. District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl granted TIGHAR's motion for summary judgment in 2014, after recognizing that even Mellon's own experts were unable to confirm Mellon's allegations regarding the 2010 photographs that Mellon claimed showed the presence of the plane. Judge Skavdahl concluded that: "Defendants represented to Plaintiff they were planning another expedition in their continued quest to find the wreckage of Amelia Earhart's airplane. Upon reading about Defendants' efforts, Plaintiff contacted Defendants and expressed his interest in supporting the expedition with a monetary contribution. That's exactly what the parties then did. No false representations were made. The lost had not been found ... or maybe it had. Regardless, no rational trier of fact could find Defendants falsely represented they had not found Earhart's plane by embarking on another expedition in hopes of finding conclusive evidence to prove it. No matter how convinced or sincere Plaintiff is in his subjective belief and opinion that Amelia Earhart's airplane was or should have been discovered prior to the making of his donation, that belief and opinion is insufficient to create a genuine dispute of material fact." [21]

Mellon appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, which affirmed the district court's ruling, without holding oral argument. The Tenth Circuit concluded that the lack of actionable falsity precluded Mellon's claims. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amelia Earhart</span> American aviation pioneer and author (1897–1937)

Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her life, she embraced celebrity culture and women's rights, and since her disappearance has become a cultural icon. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and she set many other records. She was one of the first aviators to promote commercial air travel, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences, and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots.

In the United States, a political action committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. The legal term PAC was created in pursuit of campaign finance reform in the United States. Democracies of other countries use different terms for the units of campaign spending or spending on political competition. At the U.S. federal level, an organization becomes a PAC when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing a federal election, and registers with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), according to the Federal Election Campaign Act as amended by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. At the state level, an organization becomes a PAC according to the state's election laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikumaroro</span> Island in the western Pacific

Nikumaroro, previously known as Kemins Island or Gardner Island, is a part of the Phoenix Islands, Kiribati, in the western Pacific Ocean. It is a remote, elongated, triangular coral atoll with profuse vegetation and a large central marine lagoon. Nikumaroro is about 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long by 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide. The rim has two narrow entrances, both of which are blocked by a wide reef, which is dry at low tide. The ocean beyond the reef is very deep, and the only anchorage is at the island's west end, across the reef from the ruins of a mid-20th-century British colonial village, but this is safe only with the southeast trade winds. Landing has always been difficult and is most often done south of the anchorage. Although occupied at various times during the past, the island is uninhabited today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Noonan</span> 20th-century American aviator and navigator

Frederick Joseph "Fred" Noonan was an American flight navigator, sea captain and aviation pioneer, who first charted many commercial airline routes across the Pacific Ocean during the 1930s. As the flight navigator for famed aviator Amelia Earhart in their pioneering attempt at circumnavigating the globe, they disappeared somewhere over the central Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937.

Christy Ruth Walton is the widow of John T. Walton, one of the sons of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campaign finance in the United States</span> Contributions to American election campaign funds

The financing of electoral campaigns in the United States happens at the federal, state, and local levels by contributions from individuals, corporations, political action committees, and sometimes the government. Campaign spending has risen steadily at least since 1990. For example, a candidate who won an election to the House of Representatives in 1990 spent on average $407,600, while the winner in 2022 spent on average $2.79 million; in the Senate, average spending for winning candidates went from $3.87 million to $26.53 million.

Charles Bartlett Johnson is an American billionaire businessman, with an estimated current net worth of around $6.1 billion. He was chief executive officer of Franklin Templeton Investments from 1957 to 2004. He is a Republican megadonor and part owner of the San Francisco Giants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Labels</span> American political organization

No Labels is an American political organization whose stated mission is to support centrism and bipartisanship through what it calls the "commonsense majority". No Labels was founded in 2010 as a 501(c)(4) by current president and CEO Nancy Jacobson.

Phoenix International Holdings, Inc. (Phoenix) is a marine services company that performs manned and unmanned underwater operations worldwide.

Restore Our Future is a political action committee (PAC) created to support Mitt Romney in the 2012 U.S. Presidential election. A so-called Super PAC, Restore Our Future is permitted to raise and spend unlimited amounts of corporate, union, and individual campaign contributions under the terms of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.

James S. Davis is an American billionaire businessman, the owner and chairman of New Balance, and an early investor in Major League Lacrosse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Fernandez</span> American businessman

Miguel B. "Mike" Fernandez is an American health care industry businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder of MBF Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm founded in 2005 in Coral Gables, Florida. Fernandez is a major Republican donor.

Robert Leroy Mercer is an American hedge fund manager, computer scientist, and political donor. Mercer was an early artificial intelligence researcher and developer and is the former co-CEO of the hedge fund company Renaissance Technologies.

Richard Ellis Uihlein and Elizabeth Uihlein are American billionaire businesspeople, founders of Uline and conservative donors. Richard is also an heir to the Schlitz brewing fortune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Kolfage</span> US Air Force veteran and political fundraiser

Brian Kolfage is an American far right political activist, former United States Air Force airman, and convicted fraudster. He co-founded We Build the Wall, a private organization that purportedly aimed to construct a privately funded barrier on the Mexico–United States border; he pleaded guilty in 2022 to federal fraud and tax crimes for defrauding donors to the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women for Trump</span> American political organization

Women for Trump is a political group in the United States who have supported the presidency of former U.S. president Donald Trump.

Randy Kendrick is an American conservative political activist and donor. She is married to billionaire Ken Kendrick, the owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

America First Policies is an organization created following the inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017 to promote the America First policy agenda of his administration. It was founded by Trump campaign people including Nick Ayers, Rick Gates, and Brad Parscale.

MAGA Inc. or "Make America Great Again Inc." is an American Super PAC that supports former US president Donald Trump. As a Super PAC it can raise unlimited money for campaigns and spend it freely to support Trump but it is barred from coordinating directly with presidential campaigns.

Since their disappearance in 1937, the fate of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan remain a subject of debate, various theories, and continuing research.

References

  1. ↑ "Pan Am Systems, Inc. - Company profile from Hoover's". hoovers.com. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  2. ↑ Panam.captain: The Intriguing Story of Tim Mellon (2015)
  3. 1 2 3 Thrush, Glenn; Ruiz, Rebecca R.; Yourish, Karen (2020-08-16). "Trump's Policies Are a Boon to the Super Rich. So Where Are All the Seven-Figure Checks?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  4. ↑ Gillette, Christine, "Cambridge train yard made new [ permanent dead link ]," Portsmouth Herald, 30 July 1999
  5. ↑ 175 Years Later, The Mellons Have Never Been Richer. How'd They Do It? Forbes (July 8, 2014)
  6. ↑ DOT ready to pull Boston-Maine's license to fly, Seacoast Online, February 05, 2008
  7. ↑ Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in 2002 after 21 years on its board.2002 President's Report Archived 2007-10-07 at the Wayback Machine , Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
  8. ↑ Rough, Ginger (3 September 2010). "Ariz. immigration law's legal costs could top $1 million". USA Today. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  9. ↑ Archibold, Randal C. (April 24, 2010). "U.S.'s Toughest Immigration Law Is Signed in Arizona". The New York Times . p. 1.
  10. ↑ "Los Angeles approves Arizona business boycott". CNN. May 13, 2010.
  11. ↑ Nowicki, Dan (July 25, 2010). "Arizona immigration law ripples through history, U.S. politics". The Arizona Republic .
  12. ↑ Jones, Natalie (November 2, 2018). "Midterm big spenders: the top 20 political donors this election". The Guardian. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  13. ↑ "2022 Top Donors to Outside Spending Groups". OpenSecrets. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  14. 1 2 Timothy Mellon, top donor to Trump super PAC, used racial stereotypes to describe African Americans in his autobiography Washington Post (June 18, 2020)
  15. ↑ Timothy Mellon Releases Autobiography (Feb. 9, 2016)
  16. ↑ Barragán, James; Astudillo, Carla (2021-10-06). "Texas has raised $54 million in private donations for its border wall plan. Almost all of it came from this one billionaire". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  17. ↑ Yang, Mary (2023-08-02). "Robert F Kennedy Jr's campaign bankrolled by Republican mega-donor". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  18. ↑ Swan, Jonathan; Haberman, Maggie; Goldmacher, Shane; Davis O'Brien, Rebecca (April 10, 2024). "Trump Allies Have a Plan to Hurt Biden's Chances: Elevate Outsider Candidates". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  19. ↑ Wyoming Man Denies Plot Against Amelia Earhart Plane Recovery Group, Casper Star Tribune (Aug. 11, 2013)
  20. ↑ The Obsessed, Feuding Searchers Still Looking For Amelia Earhart, Atlas Obscura (Dec. 12, 2016)
  21. ↑ Mellon v. International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, 33 F. Supp. 3d 1277 (D. Wyo. 2014)
  22. ↑ Mellon v. International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, 612 Fed. Appx. 936 (10th Cir. 2015)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.