Rachel Lambert Mellon
Encyclopedia
Rachel "Bunny" Lowe Lambert Lloyd Mellon (born August 9, 1910) is an American horticulturalist, gardener, philanthropist, fine arts collector, member of the International Best Dressed List
, and widow of philanthropist
, art collector, thoroughbred
racehorse
owner/breeder
, and banking heir Paul Mellon
.
, following a 2000 merger). Her mother was the former Rachel Lowe. She had two siblings: Gerard Barnes Lambert Jr (1912–1947; married Elsa Cover, former wife of Angus D Mackintosh) and Lily Cary Lambert (1914–2006; married William Wilson Fleming and John Gilman McCarthy).
Her parents divorced in 1933, and in 1934 her mother re-married her former brother-in-law, Dr Malvern Bryan Clopton, the widower of Gerard Lambert Sr's sister, Lily Lambert Walker. In 1936 Gerard Lambert Sr also was re-married, to Grace Cleveland Lansing Mull, the former wife of John B Mull and a daughter of Henry Livingston Lansing.
Forbes Magazine has been unable to put any sort of definitive number on Mellon’s net worth since much of her fortune is tied up in trusts, but it is apparent that she is both extraordinarily wealthy and very private. In 2011 it was reveals she had lost $5.75M to investor Ken Starr, her attorney, Alex Forger, said "She's well off, but assets are not liquid." She maintains homes in Antigua, Nantucket and Cape Cod but two apartments in Paris and townhouse in New York City were recently sold. Her main residence Oak Spring Farm, a 4,000-acre estate in Virginia
, has its own mile long airstrip for her Falcon 2000 She amassed an extraordinary collection of works by artist Mark Rothko
, having purchased many of his 1950s works directly from his New York studio. One of the works, Yellow Expanse is considered one of the greatest works that remains in private hands.
Mellon has long been known for her maximum discretion and minimum exposure. In a rare 1969 New York Times article, she proclaimed that "nothing should be noticed".
., a former captain in the Office of Strategic Services, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1932. They divorced in 1948. They had two children:
Lambert and Lloyd became close friends of banking heir and art collector Paul Mellon
and his first wife, Mary Conover, who died of an asthma attack in 1946. After she divorced Lloyd, Paul and Bunny were married on May 1, 1948. By this marriage, she had two stepchildren, Timothy Mellon
and Catherine Conover Mellon (later Mrs John Warner
and now known as Catherine Conover). Together the couple collected and donated more than 1,000 works of art, mostly eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European paintings, to the National Gallery of Art
. The couple also bred and raced thoroughbred horses, including a winner of the Kentucky Derby
.
In his autobiography, Reflections in a Silver Spoon, Paul
wrote movingly of the warmth his wife brought to Oak Spring Farms. The couple decided to move out of the property’s stately Brick House, designed in 1941 by William Adams Delano, whose neo-Georgian mansions were much favored by Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and other plutocrats of that era. They commissioned New York architect H. Page Cross to design Little Oak Spring, the much cozier farmhouse, completed in 1955, where Mellon still lives.
creating a more open space for public ceremony and introducing American species of plants including Magnolia × soulangeana
. She next began work on the White House's East Garden, but was unable to complete it before the assassination of President Kennedy. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson
asked Mellon to complete work on the East Garden and in 1965 it was dedicated as the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden
.
, the daughter of friend Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
, sat beside her during her daughter's funeral.
Mellon expressed interest in the John Edwards
campaign as early as 2004, because he reminded her of President Kennedy
, but when she called his campaign office with an offer to help, no one recognized her name and wasn’t called back. That changed when Edwards sought the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. In August 2008, John Edwards
' campaign finance chairman Fred Baron told NBC News that he had been providing financial assistance to both Rielle Hunter
and Andrew Young
without Edwards' knowledge. He further stated that no campaign funds were used. Mellon began giving John Edwards through decorator Brian Hoffman, more than $725,000 for an 8 month period beginning in May 2007. The check falsely referred to as “chairs,” “antique Charleston table” and “bookcase.” During this period Mellon wrote a note to Andrew Young
saying: “I was sitting alone in a grim mood — furious that the press attacked Senator Edwards on the price of a haircut. But it inspired me — from now on, all haircuts, etc. that are necessary and important for his campaign — please send the bills to me... It is a way to help our friend without government restrictions.” The funds were believe to be used to secretly support Rielle Hunter
, with whom Edward had an extra-marital affair and child. The FBI interviewed Mellon at her Upperville, VA estate on two occasions in 2010. Then in early December of that same year, her son, Stacy Lloyd III, grandsons, Stacy Lloyd IV and Thomas Lloyd, along with grandson Thomas Lloyd's wife, Ricki Lloyd, appeared before a grand jury in Raleigh, NC. On June 3, 2011, Edwards was indicted on using campaign funds to help cover-up an affair and pregnancy during the 2008 presidential campaign. Mellon was widely believed to be 'Person C' described in the indictment. Just one week prior to his indictment in late May 2011, Edwards visited Mellon at her Upperville, VA estate. Following his indictment, the judge forbade Edwards to speak with any potential witnesses. People close to Mellon said that the money was a personal gift and that she had no idea how Mr. Edwards used it.
Although described as strong and resilient, her health has deteriorated due to a bad fall and a bout with cancer. She no longer spends her days gardening. Forever blonde, tall, and slender, she greets visitors in cotton shirts or cashmere twin sets, accented with pearls and Schlumberger bracelets. “I had a serious operation a little while ago, and ever since then I’ve been very, very weak,” Mellon says. “I’m going along on very weak wheels.” Most distressing is her loss of vision, as a result of macular degeneration
. “It’s hard being 100 and blind. I don’t mind being 100, I can cope with that, but not seeing is very scary.” but goes on to say, “I’m very busy. I can’t write, but I dictate, I talk to people. I have so much to do.” She still swims and does Pilates, which she learned from the exercise's inventor Joseph Pilates
more than 50 years ago.
International Best Dressed List
The International Best Dressed List was founded by fashionista Eleanor Lambert in 1940 as an attempt to boost the reputation of American fashion at the time.People who have been on the list include from A to Z:-The International Hall of Fame: Women:...
, and widow of philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, art collector, thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
owner/breeder
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
, and banking heir Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon KBE was an American philanthropist, thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame...
.
Background
Known as Bunny, she is the eldest child of Gerard Barnes Lambert, Sr, a president of Gillette Safety Razor Co. and a founder of Warner-Lambert (Warner-Lambert is now part of PfizerPfizer
Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
, following a 2000 merger). Her mother was the former Rachel Lowe. She had two siblings: Gerard Barnes Lambert Jr (1912–1947; married Elsa Cover, former wife of Angus D Mackintosh) and Lily Cary Lambert (1914–2006; married William Wilson Fleming and John Gilman McCarthy).
Her parents divorced in 1933, and in 1934 her mother re-married her former brother-in-law, Dr Malvern Bryan Clopton, the widower of Gerard Lambert Sr's sister, Lily Lambert Walker. In 1936 Gerard Lambert Sr also was re-married, to Grace Cleveland Lansing Mull, the former wife of John B Mull and a daughter of Henry Livingston Lansing.
Forbes Magazine has been unable to put any sort of definitive number on Mellon’s net worth since much of her fortune is tied up in trusts, but it is apparent that she is both extraordinarily wealthy and very private. In 2011 it was reveals she had lost $5.75M to investor Ken Starr, her attorney, Alex Forger, said "She's well off, but assets are not liquid." She maintains homes in Antigua, Nantucket and Cape Cod but two apartments in Paris and townhouse in New York City were recently sold. Her main residence Oak Spring Farm, a 4,000-acre estate in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, has its own mile long airstrip for her Falcon 2000 She amassed an extraordinary collection of works by artist Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz , was a Russian-born American painter. He is classified as an abstract expressionist, although he himself rejected this label, and even resisted classification as an "abstract painter".- Childhood :Mark Rothko was born in Dvinsk, Vitebsk Province, Russian...
, having purchased many of his 1950s works directly from his New York studio. One of the works, Yellow Expanse is considered one of the greatest works that remains in private hands.
Mellon has long been known for her maximum discretion and minimum exposure. In a rare 1969 New York Times article, she proclaimed that "nothing should be noticed".
Marriages
Rachel Lowe Lambert married Stacy Barcroft Lloyd JrStacy Barcroft Lloyd Jr
Stacy Barcroft Lloyd Jr. was a businessman, horse breeder, dairy cattle farmer and yachtsman. He was the founder of the equestrian journal ....
., a former captain in the Office of Strategic Services, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1932. They divorced in 1948. They had two children:
- Stacy Barcroft Lloyd, III
- Eliza Winn Lloyd (died May 7, 2008; married and divorced Viscount MooreDerry Moore, 12th Earl of DroghedaHenry Dermot Ponsonby Moore, 12th Earl of Drogheda is a British photographer known professionally as Derry Moore.He inherited the title of Earl of Drogheda from his father, Charles Moore, 11th Earl of Drogheda...
). In May 2000, Eliza, was hit by a truck while crossing a Manhattan street and suffering a severe brain injury. She became paraplegic and unable to speak. She spent the remaining eight years of her life under round the clock care at Oak Spring Farms
Lambert and Lloyd became close friends of banking heir and art collector Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon KBE was an American philanthropist, thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame...
and his first wife, Mary Conover, who died of an asthma attack in 1946. After she divorced Lloyd, Paul and Bunny were married on May 1, 1948. By this marriage, she had two stepchildren, Timothy Mellon
Timothy Mellon
Timothy Mellon is chairman and majority owner of Pan Am Systems, a transportation holding company.The son of Paul Mellon and his first wife, Mary Conover Brown, Timothy Mellon holds a degree in city planning from Yale University...
and Catherine Conover Mellon (later Mrs John Warner
John Warner
John William Warner, KBE is an American Republican politician who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Senator from Virginia from January 2, 1979, to January 3, 2009...
and now known as Catherine Conover). Together the couple collected and donated more than 1,000 works of art, mostly eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European paintings, to the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
. The couple also bred and raced thoroughbred horses, including a winner of the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
.
In his autobiography, Reflections in a Silver Spoon, Paul
Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon KBE was an American philanthropist, thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame...
wrote movingly of the warmth his wife brought to Oak Spring Farms. The couple decided to move out of the property’s stately Brick House, designed in 1941 by William Adams Delano, whose neo-Georgian mansions were much favored by Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and other plutocrats of that era. They commissioned New York architect H. Page Cross to design Little Oak Spring, the much cozier farmhouse, completed in 1955, where Mellon still lives.
Gardening career
Mellon was a longtime friend of John and Jacqueline Kennedy, advising Mrs. Kennedy first on fine arts and antiques during the Kennedy White House restoration, and then contributing to the design of the grounds of the president's house. In 1961 on Mrs. Kennedy's request Mellon redesigned the White House Rose GardenWhite House Rose Garden
The White House Rose Garden is a garden bordering the Oval Office and the West Wing of the White House. The garden is approximately 125 feet long and 60 feet wide...
creating a more open space for public ceremony and introducing American species of plants including Magnolia × soulangeana
Magnolia × soulangeana
Magnolia × soulangeana is a hybrid plant in the genus Magnolia and family Magnoliaceae. It is a deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers in various shades of white, pink, and purple...
. She next began work on the White House's East Garden, but was unable to complete it before the assassination of President Kennedy. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson
Lady Bird Johnson
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources and made that...
asked Mellon to complete work on the East Garden and in 1965 it was dedicated as the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden
Jacqueline Kennedy Garden
The Jacqueline Kennedy Garden is located at the White House south of the East Colonnade. The garden balances the Rose Garden on the west side of the White House Complex.-History:...
.
Later Years & Controversy
Her daughter, Eliza, was hit by a car and became a quadriplegic not long after the death of husband, Paul, in 1999. Eliza died in 2008. Caroline KennedyCaroline Kennedy
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy is an American author and attorney. She is a member of the influential Kennedy family and the only surviving child of U.S. President John F...
, the daughter of friend Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...
, sat beside her during her daughter's funeral.
Mellon expressed interest in the John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
campaign as early as 2004, because he reminded her of President Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, but when she called his campaign office with an offer to help, no one recognized her name and wasn’t called back. That changed when Edwards sought the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. In August 2008, John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
' campaign finance chairman Fred Baron told NBC News that he had been providing financial assistance to both Rielle Hunter
Rielle Hunter
Rielle Hunter , August 1, 2008, San Jose Mercury-News. is an American actress and film producer. She is known for having had an affair with and conceiving a child with 2004 Democratic Party vice-presidential nominee John Edwards., August 8, 2008, Chicago Tribune. She is said to be the basis of a...
and Andrew Young
Andrew Young (political operative)
Andrew Aldridge Young was a key staff member in the John Edwards 2008 presidential campaign. Young came to prominence via a scandal in which he claimed paternity of Rielle Hunter's child born on February 27, 2008. John Edwards had admitted a past affair with Hunter, but denied paternity of the...
without Edwards' knowledge. He further stated that no campaign funds were used. Mellon began giving John Edwards through decorator Brian Hoffman, more than $725,000 for an 8 month period beginning in May 2007. The check falsely referred to as “chairs,” “antique Charleston table” and “bookcase.” During this period Mellon wrote a note to Andrew Young
Andrew Young (political operative)
Andrew Aldridge Young was a key staff member in the John Edwards 2008 presidential campaign. Young came to prominence via a scandal in which he claimed paternity of Rielle Hunter's child born on February 27, 2008. John Edwards had admitted a past affair with Hunter, but denied paternity of the...
saying: “I was sitting alone in a grim mood — furious that the press attacked Senator Edwards on the price of a haircut. But it inspired me — from now on, all haircuts, etc. that are necessary and important for his campaign — please send the bills to me... It is a way to help our friend without government restrictions.” The funds were believe to be used to secretly support Rielle Hunter
Rielle Hunter
Rielle Hunter , August 1, 2008, San Jose Mercury-News. is an American actress and film producer. She is known for having had an affair with and conceiving a child with 2004 Democratic Party vice-presidential nominee John Edwards., August 8, 2008, Chicago Tribune. She is said to be the basis of a...
, with whom Edward had an extra-marital affair and child. The FBI interviewed Mellon at her Upperville, VA estate on two occasions in 2010. Then in early December of that same year, her son, Stacy Lloyd III, grandsons, Stacy Lloyd IV and Thomas Lloyd, along with grandson Thomas Lloyd's wife, Ricki Lloyd, appeared before a grand jury in Raleigh, NC. On June 3, 2011, Edwards was indicted on using campaign funds to help cover-up an affair and pregnancy during the 2008 presidential campaign. Mellon was widely believed to be 'Person C' described in the indictment. Just one week prior to his indictment in late May 2011, Edwards visited Mellon at her Upperville, VA estate. Following his indictment, the judge forbade Edwards to speak with any potential witnesses. People close to Mellon said that the money was a personal gift and that she had no idea how Mr. Edwards used it.
Although described as strong and resilient, her health has deteriorated due to a bad fall and a bout with cancer. She no longer spends her days gardening. Forever blonde, tall, and slender, she greets visitors in cotton shirts or cashmere twin sets, accented with pearls and Schlumberger bracelets. “I had a serious operation a little while ago, and ever since then I’ve been very, very weak,” Mellon says. “I’m going along on very weak wheels.” Most distressing is her loss of vision, as a result of macular degeneration
Macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration is a medical condition which usually affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field because of damage to the retina. It occurs in “dry” and “wet” forms. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults...
. “It’s hard being 100 and blind. I don’t mind being 100, I can cope with that, but not seeing is very scary.” but goes on to say, “I’m very busy. I can’t write, but I dictate, I talk to people. I have so much to do.” She still swims and does Pilates, which she learned from the exercise's inventor Joseph Pilates
Joseph Pilates
Joseph Hubertus Pilates invented and promoted the Pilates method of physical fitness.- Biography:Joseph H. Pilates was born in 1883 in Mönchengladbach, Germany. His father was a prize-winning gymnast of Greek ancestry, and his mother worked as a naturopath...
more than 50 years ago.
External links
- National Gallery of Art: Paul Mellon Remembered
- Paul and Bunny Mellon at The National Sporting Library
- Paul and Rachel Lambert Mellon at the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame
- David CannadineDavid CannadineSir David Nicholas Cannadine, FBA is a British historian, known for a number of books, including The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy and Ornamentalism. He is also notable as a commentator and broadcaster on British public life, especially the monarchy. He serves as the generaleditor...
, Mellon: An American Life, Knopf, 2006, ISBN 0-679-45032-7 - Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Inc. - History
- Grandson Thomas Lloyd's marriage notice.
- Step-mother Grace Lansing Lambert obituary