Age, Biography and Wiki

Ailsa Mellon Bruce (Ailsa Mellon) was born on 28 June, 1901 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., is an American art collector (1901–1969). Discover Ailsa Mellon Bruce's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is she in this year and how she spends money? Also learn how she earned most of networth at the age of 68 years old?

Popular As Ailsa Mellon
Occupation N/A
Age 68 years old
Zodiac Sign Cancer
Born 28 June, 1901
Birthday 28 June
Birthplace Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Date of death 25 August, 1969
Died Place New York City, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 28 June. She is a member of famous Founder with the age 68 years old group.

Ailsa Mellon Bruce Height, Weight & Measurements

At 68 years old, Ailsa Mellon Bruce height not available right now. We will update Ailsa Mellon Bruce's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Who Is Ailsa Mellon Bruce's Husband?

Her husband is David K. E. Bruce (m. 1926-1945)

Family
Parents Andrew W. Mellon Nora McMullen
Husband David K. E. Bruce (m. 1926-1945)
Sibling Not Available
Children 1 daughter

Ailsa Mellon Bruce Net Worth

Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Ailsa Mellon Bruce worth at the age of 68 years old? Ailsa Mellon Bruce’s income source is mostly from being a successful Founder. She is from United States. We have estimated Ailsa Mellon Bruce's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Founder

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Timeline

1879

She was the daughter of the banker and diplomat Andrew W. Mellon and Nora Mary (née McMullen) Mellon (1879–1937).

1901

Ailsa Mellon Bruce (June 28, 1901 – August 25, 1969) was a prominent American socialite and philanthropist who established the Avalon Foundation.

Ailsa was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 28, 1901.

1907

Her only sibling was brother Paul Mellon (1907–1999), who was also a philanthropist and was known as a prominent owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.

Ailsa attended Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut and spent her summers as a teenager in Europe.

1912

Her parents divorced in 1912 and from 1921 to 1932, Ailsa served as her father's official hostess during his tenure as United States Secretary of the Treasury, and again when he was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1932–1933.

1926

On May 23, 1926, she married David Kirkpatrick Este Bruce (1898–1977), a scion of a prominent Virginia family including his father William Cabell Bruce, a U.S. Senator from Maryland, and brother James Cabell Bruce, the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina.

Their engagement, marriage (which was attended by President and Mrs. Coolidge) and honeymoon were followed closely by the news media.

1928

Ailsa Bruce was a silent partner, with Nona McAdoo Park and Sophie Meldrim Shonnard, founding Chez Ninon in 1928, on Madison Avenue.

1933

In 1933, after seven years of marriage, Ailsa gave birth to her only child:

1940

Bruce established the Avalon Foundation in 1940, which made grants to colleges and universities, medical schools and hospitals, youth programs and community services, churches, environmental projects, and an array of cultural and arts organizations.

1945

She obtained a divorce from her husband in Palm Beach, Florida in April 1945 on the grounds of "desertion and mental cruelty", receiving sole custody of their 11-year-old daughter.

1947

In 1947, the Avalon Foundation was instrumental in the establishment of the Hampton National Historic Site in Maryland.

1957

In 1957, when Fortune prepared its first list of the wealthiest Americans, it estimated that Ailsa Mellon Bruce, her brother, Paul, and her cousins, Sarah Mellon and Richard King Mellon, were all among the richest eight people in the United States, with fortunes of between 400 and 700 million dollars each.

1961

Following their divorce, her ex-husband would later become the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1961 to 1969, the same position her father held.

After her divorce, Mrs. Bruce was in a long rumored relationship with G. Lauder Greenway of the Lauder Greenway Family.

In addition to their personal links, Greenway was a longtime trustee of Bruce's Avalon Foundation.

1967

When Audrey and her husband, Stephen Currier, died in a presumed plane crash in 1967, leaving three young children – Andrea Currier, Lavinia Currier, and Michael Stephen Currier (1961–1998), she decided to bequeath her collection of 18th-century English furniture and ceramics to the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1968

In 1968, Ailsa and Paul donated $20 million to build an annex to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

1969

At her death in 1969, Ailsa Bruce bequeathed 153 paintings, primarily by 19th-century French artists, to the National Gallery of Art, as well as establishing a fund for future acquisitions.

Among the many works acquired by the Gallery through the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund was the portrait of Ginevra de' Benci, the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the United States.

In 1969, the assets of Paul Mellon’s Old Dominion Foundation were merged into his sister's Avalon Foundation, which was renamed the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in honor of their father.

She dated Prince Otto Bismarck, the grandson of Otto von Bismarck, the "Iron Chancellor", and was close to marrying him, but decided to marry David Bruce, an American, instead.

She died on August 25, 1969, at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City.

She had homes at 960 Fifth Avenue, a beach house in Atlantic Beach, NY, and a 121-acre estate in Syosset, New York on Long Island.

Her obituary in The New York Times called her the "Richest Woman in U.S."