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Richard Mellon Scaife

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Richard Mellon Scaife
Born (1932-07-03) 3 July 1932 (age 94)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died4 July 2014(2014-07-04) (aged 82)
Occupation(s)Businessman, newspaper publisher, philanthropist
Known forOwner and publisher of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; major donor to conservative causes

Richard Mellon Scaife (; July 3, 1932 – July 4, 2014) was an American billionaire and the primary inheritor of the Mellon family's banking, oil, and aluminum wealth. He held ownership and served as publisher of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. In 2005, Scaife was listed at number 238 on the Forbes 400 with a net worth of $1.2 billion; by 2013, his ranking shifted to number 371 with assets valued at $1.4 billion.

Over a span of more than forty years, Scaife gained recognition for his substantial financial contributions to conservative public policy groups. His support for conservative and libertarian initiatives was mainly channeled through private nonprofit entities under his control: the Sarah Scaife Foundation, Carthage Foundation, Allegheny Foundation, and until 2001, the Scaife Family Foundation, which is currently overseen by his son David.[1][2]

Early life

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Scaife was the son of Alan Magee Scaife, leader of a prosperous Pittsburgh family, and Sarah Cordelia Mellon, a member of the prominent Mellon family, one of the most influential families in the United States. Sarah was the niece of former United States Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon and heir to the Mellon fortune alongside her brother financier R.K. Mellon, which included holdings in Mellon Bank, Gulf Oil, and Alcoa.

He attended Deerfield Academy for high school but encountered disciplinary challenges and was expelled from Yale University following an incident at a party. Supported by his father, he transferred to the University of Pittsburgh, where he completed a bachelor's degree in English in 1957.

Following his father's unexpected death in 1958, Scaife inherited several corporate board roles. Nonetheless, a strained relationship with his uncle R.K. Mellon restricted his influence over family enterprises. Motivated by his mother’s encouragement, he took an active role in overseeing the family's philanthropic foundations (see management of Scaife family foundations) and received a significant portion of the Mellon wealth after her passing in 1965.

The inheritance was divided between trusts and foundations; while trusts expired in 1985, tax regulations mandate that foundations distribute at least 5% of their assets annually through their governing boards.

In 1973, Scaife became distant from his sister Cordelia, assuming control over many family foundations as she supported separate charitable organizations such as Planned Parenthood and Pittsburgh's National Aviary. They mended their relationship shortly before her death, with Scaife delivering her eulogy in 2005 and commending her commitment to "worthwhile causes."

Acquisition of the Tribune-Review

In 1970, Scaife purchased the modest Tribune-Review, a newspaper serving Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding Westmoreland County near Pittsburgh. Originally focused solely on the Westmoreland region, the publication experienced considerable growth under his direction.

A dispute emerged in 1973 when a journalist was dismissed over a remark related to Watergate, leading nearly half of the newsroom employees to resign in protest. During a labor conflict in 1992 that caused the closure of the Pittsburgh Press, Scaife expanded his paper’s reach into Pittsburgh by establishing the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and moving its operations to the D. L. Clark building located on Pittsburgh's North Side.

Management and media holdings

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review continues to stand as a significant rival to the Post-Gazette within Pittsburgh's media landscape. Despite persistent financial deficits, Scaife reportedly funneled between $20 million and $30 million annually to keep the publication afloat. The Tribune-Review’s regional circulation reached 221,000, slightly trailing its competitor.

In 2005, suburban editions were merged, accompanied by workforce reductions across editorial, business, and circulation divisions.

During Scaife's tenure, the newspaper published editorials accusing Bill and Hillary Clinton of involvement in the death of Deputy White House counsel Vince Foster, commissioning freelance journalist Christopher Ruddy to investigate these claims. However, Special Prosecutor Ken Starr ultimately determined Foster’s death was a suicide.

By 2004, Scaife had acquired a 7.2% stake in Newsmax Media, a conservative news platform founded by Ruddy; by 2009 his ownership reportedly increased to approximately 42%, while Ruddy maintained majority control and executive leadership roles.

Additionally, Scaife held a controlling interest in KQV, an all-news radio station based in Pittsburgh, and owned the Sacramento Union newspaper from 1977 until 1989.

Political activities

In his unpublished memoir, Scaife revealed that his political motivation stemmed from fears that America's liberal evolution endangered not only ineffective public policies but also threatened the very foundation of American civilization.

Scaife and an influential group of conservatives referred to themselves as "The League to Save Carthage," expressing their conviction that political progressivism represented a danger far more severe than Rome’s decline—comparable instead to the complete destruction of Ancient Carthage due to elite complacency.

Backing Richard Nixon

By 1968, Scaife was actively engaged at senior levels within Nixon's campaign, heading United Citizens for Nixon-Agnew during that fall.

He became known for circumventing lax campaign finance regulations by contributing $990,000 toward Nixon’s 1972 re-election effort. Although he faced no charges, approximately $45,000 was directed toward a fund connected to Watergate. Disgusted by the scandal’s revelations, Scaife severed ties with Nixon after 1973 and redirected his political contributions toward anti-communist research organizations, legal defense funds, and conservative publications. During Watergate, John Ehrlichman suggested that Scaife could acquire The Washington Post through a hostile takeover from Katharine Graham as a strategy to halt Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s investigative reporting.

Opposition to Bill Clinton

Scaife's media outlets were instrumental in mounting resistance against then-President Bill Clinton:

  • He served as the principal financier of The American Spectator, which spearheaded the Arkansas Project—an initiative focused on investigating Clinton, particularly by bringing attention to Paula Jones' sexual harassment claims.
  • On April 15, 1998, The New York Times revealed that Scaife had invested close to $2 million into this effort.
  • A 1999 series by The Washington Post attributed the project's leadership to Richard Larry, an associate of Scaife, rather than Scaife himself, although Scaife remained its chief funder. The precise degree of Scaife’s direct involvement versus that of his aides is still a subject of discussion.

The Arkansas Project leveled accusations against Clinton involving financial improprieties and sexual misconduct—some of which were later substantiated—and also propagated conspiracy theories linking Clinton to CIA drug trafficking in Mena, Arkansas and the alleged murder of aide Vince Foster as part of a cover-up tied to the Whitewater controversy. Allegations that project financing was directed to David Hale, a Whitewater witness, triggered a federal probe during which Scaife testified before a grand jury.

In 2007, Ruddy conducted a favorable interview with Clinton for Newsmax and featured him on the cover story, indicating a change in their relationship. The New York Times cited this as an example of politics forging unlikely alliances. Ruddy commended Clinton’s global initiatives through the Clinton Foundation, noting that both he and Scaife admired Clinton’s international contributions despite domestic criticisms. Ruddy denied any implication that they accused Clinton of involvement in Foster’s death or disseminated sexual scandal allegations, although their reporting may have influenced other narratives.

Although initially adversarial, Scaife and Clinton eventually formed a friendship after Clinton’s presidency; notably, Clinton delivered remarks at Scaife’s private memorial service in August 2014.

Political donations

Between 1999 and 2006, Scaife made numerous political donations exceeding $180,000 under various identities. His support extended to the Republican National Committee, Rick Santorum’s 2000 campaign, and political action committees such as the Pro-Growth Action Team, Free Congress PAC, and Club for Growth Inc. PAC. Additionally, he financed the Western Journalism Center, headed by Joseph Farah, and was acknowledged among "Pennsylvania's Top Political Activists."

Philanthropy

Scaife contributed roughly $1 billion (adjusted for inflation) from his family wealth toward philanthropic causes, with nearly $620 million dedicated to shaping American public policy. The Washington Post described him as "the leading financial supporter of the movement that reshaped American politics in the last quarter of the 20th century." Despite this extensive giving, journalist Jane Mayer observed that he seldom spoke about his motivations or maintained frequent communication with the organizations he supported.

Management of the Scaife family foundations

Transitioning from individual gifts to backing anti-communist research groups and legal defense funds, Scaife initially provided substantial support to the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He was an early major donor and served as vice-chairman on the board of The Heritage Foundation, a key conservative think tank based in Washington.

His foundations subsequently financed a wide array of conservative and libertarian entities, including:

By 1998, these foundations had granted over $340 million to more than one hundred such organizations.

Pepperdine University

Scaife provided endowment funds to establish a public policy school at Pepperdine University, appointing Kenneth Starr as its inaugural dean. Pepperdine rejected any suggestion of Scaife’s involvement in Starr’s appointment. Starr accepted the position in 1996 but stepped down in 1998 before officially beginning amid controversy. Subsequently, Starr led Pepperdine’s law school starting in 2004 and later became president of Baylor University in 2010.

Additional philanthropic contributions

Frequently associated with supporting conservative and libertarian initiatives, Scaife was dubbed the "funding father of the Right" by The Washington Post in 1999. Nevertheless, his generosity extended to nonpartisan organizations such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) at the University of Pennsylvania. During the 1970s, he contributed millions to abortion rights groups including Planned Parenthood.

In the late 1990s, amid controversies during the Clinton administration, Scaife donated upwards of $1 million to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, aiding PBS. His financial support for White House restoration led to a black-tie invitation from Hillary Clinton, who welcomed him graciously despite the ongoing Clinton–Lewinsky scandal. Scaife expressed gratitude for this recognition, noting it surpassed honors he received from former President George H. W. Bush.

Beyond political causes, Scaife supported cultural and community institutions in Pittsburgh such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Sarah Scaife Galleries at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Brandywine Conservancy, Phipps Conservatory, and the National Gallery of Art. He also backed Goodwill Industries of Pittsburgh and causes dear to Sarah Scaife: population control (including Planned Parenthood), environmental preservation, and healthcare facilities—her foundation financed a laboratory where Jonas Salk developed his polio vaccine. His philanthropy further encompassed educational establishments like the University of Chicago, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Carnegie Mellon University, Boston University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Rochester, Smith College, Bowling Green State University, and his alma mater, Deerfield Academy.

Personal life

Scaife’s first marriage was to Frances L. Gilmore (born December 2, 1934), with whom he had two children: Jennie K. Scaife (1963–2018) and David N. Scaife (born 1966). The marriage ended in divorce.

In June 1991, he wed his longtime partner Margaret "Ritchie" Battle (born 1947), who became an active figure in Pittsburgh’s social and cultural circles. The couple eventually separated. On December 27, 2005, police responded to a trespassing complaint at Scaife’s Shadyside home; his estranged wife was arrested after refusing to leave.

In April 2006, a confrontation involving Margaret Scaife and three of Richard Scaife’s household staff over a dog attracted media attention; the staff members required medical attention for minor injuries. Scaife publicly revealed intentions to divorce Margaret, mentioning that no prenuptial agreement existed and estimating that half of his $1.2 billion fortune was vulnerable.

Divorce documents released in 2007 disclosed items Margaret alleged her husband withheld. In both 2002 and 2003, Scaife was listed among influential Pennsylvania political figures on PoliticsPA’s "Sy Snyder's Power 50."

On May 18, 2014, Scaife announced in a Tribune-Review article that he had been diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer.

Steve Kangas episode

On February 8, 1999, Steve Kangas, a former military intelligence officer and progressive commentator, took his own life less than 60 feet away from Scaife's office entrance within One Oxford Centre in Pittsburgh. Kangas was known for his outspoken opposition to Scaife and the initiatives he supported, which Kangas considered a threat to the nation. In reaction, Scaife employed Rex Armistead along with a reporter from the Tribune-Review to probe whether Kangas had plans to assassinate him.

Passing

Scaife passed away on July 4, 2014, at his residence after a prolonged struggle with cancer, just one day following his 82nd birthday. Among his homes were locations in Pebble Beach, California; Nantucket, Massachusetts; and Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

See also

References

  • Baer, John M. "Hardly a Right-Wing Cause He Can Refuse", Philadelphia Daily News.
  • Bellant, Russ The Coors Connection: How Coors Family Philanthropy Undermines Democratic Pluralism (Boston: South End Press, 1991).
  • Ira Chinoy and Robert G. Kaiser, "Decades of Contributions to Conservatism", The Washington Post, May 2, 1999.
  • Kaiser, Robert G. "Money, Family Name Shaped Scaife", The Washington Post, May 3, 1999.
  • Kaiser, Robert G. and Chinoy, Ira. "Scaife: Funding Father of the Right", The Washington Post, May 2, 1999.
  • Kennedy, John F. Jr. and Scaife, Richard Mellon. "Who's Afraid of Richard Mellon Scaife? JFK Jr. Interviews Richard Mellon Scaife", George, January 1999.
  • "Tribune-Review Publisher's Wife Charged with Trespass", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 27, 2005.
  • Rothmyer, Karen. "The man behind the mask", Salon, April 1998.
  • Rothmyer, Karen. "Citizen Scaife", abridged excerpt from Vetter, Herbert F., ed.Speak Out Against the New Right (Boston: Beacon Press, 1982).
  • Saloma, John S., III. Ominous Politics: The New Conservative Labyrinth (New York: Hill and Wang, 1984).
  • Savage, David G. "Richard Scaife: A 'Savior' of Right, a Scourge of Left", Los Angeles Times, April 17, 1998.

External links

  1. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ↑ Sarah Scaife Foundation Archived May 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, mediatransparency.org; accessed August 3, 2014.
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