Editing Andrew Mellon (section)

===Business career, 1873–1898===

Mellon's role at T. Mellon & Sons continued to grow after 1873, and in 1876 he was given power of attorney to direct the operations of the bank. That same year, Thomas introduced his son to [[Henry Clay Frick]], a customer of the bank who would become one of Mellons's closest friends. In 1882, Thomas turned over full ownership of the bank to his son, but Thomas continued to be involved in the bank's activities.<ref>Cannadine (2006), pp. 64–67</ref> Five years later, Mellon's younger brother, [[Richard B. Mellon]], joined T. Mellon & Sons as a co-owner and vice president.<ref>Cannadine (2006), pp. 87–88</ref>

During the 1880s, Mellon began to expand the bank's activities. Along with Frick, Mellon gained control of the Pittsburgh National Bank of Commerce, a [[National Bank Act|national bank]] that was authorized to print [[banknote]]s. Mellon also acquired or helped found the Union Insurance Company, City Deposit Bank, the Fidelity Title and Trust Company, and the Union Trust Company. He branched out into industrial concerns, becoming a director of the [[Pittsburgh Stock Exchange|Pittsburgh Petroleum Exchange]] and a co-founder of two natural gas companies that collectively controlled 35,000 acres of gas lands in the late 1880s.<ref>Cannadine (2006), pp. 79–80, 96</ref> In 1890, Thomas Mellon transferred his properties to Andrew, who would manage the properties on behalf of himself, his parents, and his brothers.<ref>Cannadine (2006), pp. 90–91</ref> In late 1894, Thomas transferred all of his remaining assets to Andrew.<ref>Cannadine (2006), p. 94</ref> Despite the large sums entrusted to Andrew, the businesses he ran were still fairly small in the 1890s; T. Mellon & Sons employed seven individuals in 1895.<ref>Cannadine (2006), p. 96</ref>

In 1889, Mellon agreed to loan $25,000 to the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, a fledgling operation seeking to become the first successful industrial producer of aluminum. Mellon became a director of the company in 1891, and he and Richard played a major role in the establishment of aluminum factories in [[New Kensington, Pennsylvania]], and [[Niagara Falls, New York]].<ref>Cannadine (2006), pp. 97–98</ref> The company would emerge as one of the most profitable ventures invested in by the Mellons, and in 1907 it was renamed [[Alcoa]].<ref name="Cannadine 2006, p. 184">Cannadine (2006), p. 184</ref> Moving into the petroleum industry, the Mellon family also established the Crescent Oil Company, the Crescent Pipeline Company, and the Bear Creek refinery. By 1894, the Mellon family's [[Vertical integration|vertically integrated]] companies produced ten percent of the oil exported by the United States.<ref>Cannadine (2006), pp. 99–102</ref> Partly due to the difficult economic conditions caused by the onset of the [[Panic of 1893]], in 1895 the Mellons sold their oil interests to [[Standard Oil]]. At roughly the same time they were selling their oil concerns, Andrew and Richard invested in the Carborundum Company, a producer of [[silicon carbide]]. The brothers gained majority ownership of the Carborundum Company in 1898 and replaced the company's founder and president, [[Edward Goodrich Acheson]], with a Carnegie protege, Frank W. Haskell.<ref>Cannadine (2006), pp. 117–120</ref> Mellon also invested in mining concerns, becoming vice president of the Trade Dollar Consolidated Mining Company.<ref>Cannadine (2006), pp. 121–122</ref>

Mellon and Henry Clay Frick enjoyed a long-lasting business and social relationship, and Frick frequently hosted Mellon, attorney [[Philander C. Knox]], inventor [[George Westinghouse]], and others for [[poker]] games. Frick and Mellon both joined the [[Duquesne Club]] and, after Frick established the [[South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club]], Mellon became one of that club's first members.<ref>Cannadine (2006), p. 81, 106–107</ref> The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club built the [[South Fork Dam]], which supported an artificial lake that the club used for boating and fishing. In 1889, the dam broke, causing the [[Johnstown Flood]], which killed 2,000 people and destroyed 1,600 homes. In the aftermath of the flood, Knox led a legal defense that successfully argued that the club bore no legal responsibility for the flood. Mellon did not publicly comment on the flood, though he did donate $1,000 to a relief fund.<ref>Cannadine (2006), p. 108</ref>