Rent Mellon: An American Life

Synopsis

This monumental biography of the businessman and philanthropist Andrew Mellon recounts his early youth in Pittsburgh, and his relationship with his banker father, as well as his rise to the top through canny investments. Mellon was active in Pennsylvania politics and later served as Secretary of the Treasury under three presidents. Biographer David Cannadine recounts Mellon's lifelong interest in collecting art, and his gift to the nation of the National Gallery of Art. Cannadine does not gloss over Mellon's troubled personal life, which including a failed marriage and a strained relationship with his daughter, nor does he ignore Mellon's many critics and his trial for tax evasion. Overall, MELLON is a lively, accessible account of an entrepreneur's private and public life.

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