Mellon Financial Corporation - Specimen Stock Certificate - Judge Thomas Mellon Vignette

Specimen Stock printed by American Bank Note Company. Portrait of Judge Thomas Mellon. Mellon Financial Corporation was an investment company that was previously recognized as one of the largest money management firms globally. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it specialized in asset management for institutions and high-net-worth individuals, which included the Dreyfus family of mutual funds, business banking, and services for shareholders and investors. On December 4, 2006, the firm revealed a merger agreement with the Bank of New York, leading to the establishment of BNY Mellon. Following the necessary regulatory and shareholder approvals, the merger was finalized on July 2, 2007.

Thomas Mellon (February 3, 1813 – February 3, 1908) was a Scots-Irish American businessman, judge, and lawyer, best known as the founder of Mellon Bank and the patriarch of the Mellon family of Pittsburgh. Mellon invested the proceeds from his legal work wisely, purchasing large portions of downtown Pittsburgh real estate. In late 1869, he decided to retire from the bench, and instead of returning to the legal profession, he chose to open a banking house. On January 2, 1870, he opened T. Mellon & Sons' Bank with his sons, Andrew W. and Richard B. Above the cast iron door of the original bank building at 145 Smithfield Street, a near life-sized statue of his inspiration, Benjamin Franklin, was placed.

He nearly lost his fortune during the Panic of 1873, an economic depression in which half of Pittsburgh's ninety organized banks and twelve private banks failed. However, he managed to prevail and was well-positioned to prosper when the economy began to recover. His shrewd investments included real estate holdings in downtown Pittsburgh, coal fields, and a $10,000 loan to Henry Clay Frick in 1871, which ultimately provided the coke needed for Andrew Carnegie's steel mills.