The founding patriarch of the Mellon family was a son of two Scotch-Irish farmers. The center of the family fortune was Mellon Bank. Founded in 1869, it grew into one of America's largest banks before its 2007 merger to become the Bank of New York Mellon. The family is also the principal investor and majority owner of Gulf Oil, Alcoa, Koppers and New York Shipbuilding and U.S. Steel.