Cordelia Scaife May
Encyclopedia
Cordelia Scaife May known as "Cordy" to her family and friends, was a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
-area philanthropist and one of the wealthiest women in the United States.
She was the only daughter of Alan Magee Scaife and Sarah Cordelia Mellon Scaife
, daughter of Richard B. Mellon
and niece of Andrew W. Mellon
. She was raised with her brother Richard Mellon Scaife
at the family estate in Ligonier
and prepared at the Foxcroft School
. She attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology
and the University of Pittsburgh
briefly, but left school to marry long time family friend Herbert A. May Jr. on June 30, 1949.
The couple divorced after scarcely a year, and she resumed a childhood friendship with Allegheny County
District Attorney
, Robert W. Duggan, which blossomed into a romantic relationship. They secretly wed on August 29 1973 amidst a federal investigation by then-United States Attorney
Dick Thornburgh
into allegations of racketeering and corruption on Duggan's part. On March 5, 1974, Duggan was found dead of shotgun wounds hours before being indicted by a federal grand jury
on charges of income tax evasion
.
His death was ruled either an accident or suicide. May maintained that he was murdered, although she never said by whom. Her brother's disapproval of their relationship led to a longtime estrangement between the siblings.
When her mother, Sarah Scaife, died in 1965, Cordelia May inherited a sizable portion of the Mellon fortune. She would distribute tens of millions of dollars to charity through the Laurel Foundation
(established 1951), Colcom Foundation
(established 1996), and directly, most on the condition her name not be revealed.
In 2005, the year of her death, May was recognized as the single most generous person in the United States. Her charitable donations for the year were almost one-tenth of the $4.3 billion donated by the nation’s leading philanthropists.
May's sensitivity to humanity's ecological footprint found expression in her charitable donations to land conservation, watershed protection, environmental education, and population causes.
May became aware of population issues in childhood, when she was introduced to Margaret Sanger
by her grandmother. By 1952 she began to actively address national population issues.
May was occasionally labeled as reclusive. She valued a person’s privacy, and she was selective, but she included people from all walks of life. To close friends, she is remembered as sensitive, loyal, generous, and warm.
She died of pancreatic cancer
at her home in Ligonier Township, Pennsylvania
at age 76, and was cremated.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
-area philanthropist and one of the wealthiest women in the United States.
She was the only daughter of Alan Magee Scaife and Sarah Cordelia Mellon Scaife
Sarah Mellon
Sarah Mellon was the niece of Andrew W. Mellon . She was one of the heirs to the Mellon fortune, including Mellon Bank and major investments in Gulf Oil and Alcoa...
, daughter of Richard B. Mellon
Richard B. Mellon
Richard Beatty Mellon , sometimes R.B., was a banker, industrialist, and philanthropist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania....
and niece of Andrew W. Mellon
Andrew W. Mellon
Andrew William Mellon was an American banker, industrialist, philanthropist, art collector and Secretary of the Treasury from March 4, 1921 until February 12, 1932.-Early life:...
. She was raised with her brother Richard Mellon Scaife
Richard Mellon Scaife
Richard Mellon Scaife is an American newspaper publisher and billionaire. Scaife owns and publishes the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. With $1.2 billion, Scaife, a principal heir to the Mellon banking, oil, and aluminum fortune, is No...
at the family estate in Ligonier
Ligonier, Pennsylvania
Ligonier is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2000 census. Ligonier was settled in the 1760s. The borough is well known for nearby Idlewild Park, one of the oldest amusement parks in the country, and nearby Seven Springs Mountain Resort...
and prepared at the Foxcroft School
Foxcroft School
Foxcroft School, founded in 1914 by Ms. Charlotte Haxall Noland, is an independent boarding and day school for girls in grades 9–12, located near Middleburg, Virginia, United States....
. She attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology
Carnegie Institute of Technology
The Carnegie Institute of Technology , is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh,...
and the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
briefly, but left school to marry long time family friend Herbert A. May Jr. on June 30, 1949.
The couple divorced after scarcely a year, and she resumed a childhood friendship with Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
, Robert W. Duggan, which blossomed into a romantic relationship. They secretly wed on August 29 1973 amidst a federal investigation by then-United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
Dick Thornburgh
Dick Thornburgh
Richard Lewis "Dick" Thornburgh is an American lawyer and Republican politician who served as the 41st Governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987, and then as the U.S...
into allegations of racketeering and corruption on Duggan's part. On March 5, 1974, Duggan was found dead of shotgun wounds hours before being indicted by a federal grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
on charges of income tax evasion
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
.
His death was ruled either an accident or suicide. May maintained that he was murdered, although she never said by whom. Her brother's disapproval of their relationship led to a longtime estrangement between the siblings.
When her mother, Sarah Scaife, died in 1965, Cordelia May inherited a sizable portion of the Mellon fortune. She would distribute tens of millions of dollars to charity through the Laurel Foundation
Laurel Foundation
Laurel Foundation is a private foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. It was established in 1951 by the late Cordelia Scaife May....
(established 1951), Colcom Foundation
Colcom Foundation
Colcom Foundation is a charitable organization established in 1996 by Cordelia Scaife May.The foundation's website indicates principal funding interests reflect a concern for quality of life....
(established 1996), and directly, most on the condition her name not be revealed.
In 2005, the year of her death, May was recognized as the single most generous person in the United States. Her charitable donations for the year were almost one-tenth of the $4.3 billion donated by the nation’s leading philanthropists.
May's sensitivity to humanity's ecological footprint found expression in her charitable donations to land conservation, watershed protection, environmental education, and population causes.
May became aware of population issues in childhood, when she was introduced to Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Higgins Sanger was an American sex educator, nurse, and birth control activist. Sanger coined the term birth control, opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, and established Planned Parenthood...
by her grandmother. By 1952 she began to actively address national population issues.
May was occasionally labeled as reclusive. She valued a person’s privacy, and she was selective, but she included people from all walks of life. To close friends, she is remembered as sensitive, loyal, generous, and warm.
She died of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
at her home in Ligonier Township, Pennsylvania
Ligonier Township, Pennsylvania
Ligonier Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Ligonier Township entirely surrounds, but does not include, Ligonier Borough, which is a separate municipality...
at age 76, and was cremated.