Timothy Mellon: The Secretive Billionaire Who Donated $130 Million to Support US Troops During Government Shutdown

According to The New York Times, billionaire Timothy Mellon has anonymously contributed $130 million to support US troops during the current government shutdown. This reclusive heir, a significant financial supporter of President Donald Trump, made the donation without public recognition.

On Thursday, Trump announced the contribution, describing the donor only as a "patriot," "great American citizen," "substantial man," and friend, without revealing Mellon's identity. The substantial sum aims to ensure active-duty service members continue receiving their paychecks despite the ongoing budget impasse disrupting government functions.

Timothy Mellon, born in 1942, comes from the illustrious Mellon family. He is the grandson of former US Treasury Secretary Andrew W Mellon and descends from Thomas Mellon, an Irish immigrant who established a vast banking and real estate empire after arriving in America in 1818. Forbes estimates the Mellon family's current worth exceeds $14 billion, placing them among America's 50 wealthiest dynasties.

Mellon studied city planning at Yale University. His father was a major benefactor of Yale and funded the Yale Center for British Art, which houses the largest collection of British artwork outside the United Kingdom.

In 1981, Mellon established Guilford Transportation Industries, a holding company named after his hometown of Guilford, Connecticut. The company subsequently acquired several major railroad operations across Canada, New England, and the mid-Atlantic region. Guilford entered the aviation sector in 1998 by purchasing the bankrupt Pan American World Airways (Pan Am). During this period, Mellon developed a profound interest in aviation, accumulating over 11,500 hours as a pilot. His 2025 autobiography notes that he "quite literally kept the American institution that is Pan Am flying."

In 2012, Mellon donated $1 million to an organization searching for Amelia Earhart's missing aircraft and personally joined the expedition, though it yielded no evidence. He later filed a lawsuit against the organization alleging fraud but was unsuccessful. Mellon served as a trustee of the Andrew W Mellon Foundation for 21 years before stepping down in 2002. In 2005, he relocated from Connecticut to Wyoming, where he has maintained a reclusive lifestyle away from public scrutiny.

His self-published memoir from 2015 generated controversy for criticizing American social welfare programs, which he characterized as "Slavery Redux," suggesting that Black voters were being "bought" with government benefits. At 83 years old, Mellon supported Trump's 2024 election campaign with a $50 million contribution last year. He was also the largest donor to independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr's campaign.