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Richard Mellon Scaife - July 3, 1932 - July 4, 2014
Ideologue, philanthropist, newspaper publisherBy Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Local newspaper publisher Richard M. Scaife, an heir to the Mellon fortune who became one of America's leading funders of conservative causes, died Friday morning. He was 82.
A shy, even reclusive, man who was both among the biggest benefactors and biggest enemies of U.S. presidents, Mr. Scaife was one of the few Western Pennsylvanians to end up on the annual Forbes list of wealthiest Americans. The magazine last year estimated the Shadyside resident's worth at $1.4 billion.
He began experiencing serious health problems in late 2012, when he was hospitalized for months with pneumonia and a collapsed lung. In a newspaper column on May 18, he disclosed that he had recently been diagnosed with untreatable cancer.
"Some who dislike me may rejoice at this news. Naturally, I can't share their enthusiasm," he noted with wry reference to how he could be a prominently polarizing figure.
Mr. Scaife may have been best known locally as owner of the Tribune-Review Publishing Co., which puts out editions in Pittsburgh and Greensburg in addition to operating other daily newspapers. He was also a prominent philanthropist for the past half-century through funding of the art museum at The Carnegie, the historic redevelopment of Station Square and numerous other institutions.
The Ligonier native's influence, however, ranged far beyond Pittsburgh, Westmoreland County and the rest of the region where he spent his life.
He donated widely not just to Republican political candidates -- Barry Goldwater's presidential run in 1964 was among the first -- but to the think tanks, research institutes and university departments whose work has been closely tied to the ascendancy of right-wing ideology since the Reagan presidency.
The public foundations and private trusts controlled by Mr. Scaife have been major backers of the Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Hoover Institute in California and the Georgetown University Center for Strategic and International Studies, among many institutions linked to the right. "He is nothing less than the financial archangel for the movement's intellectual underpinnings," the Wall Street Journal once said of Mr. Scaife.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2014/07/04/Tribune-Review-publisher-Scaife-dies/stories/201407040150#ixzz36bDYPPar
A shy, even reclusive, man who was both among the biggest benefactors and biggest enemies of U.S. presidents, Mr. Scaife was one of the few Western Pennsylvanians to end up on the annual Forbes list of wealthiest Americans. The magazine last year estimated the Shadyside resident's worth at $1.4 billion.
He began experiencing serious health problems in late 2012, when he was hospitalized for months with pneumonia and a collapsed lung. In a newspaper column on May 18, he disclosed that he had recently been diagnosed with untreatable cancer.
"Some who dislike me may rejoice at this news. Naturally, I can't share their enthusiasm," he noted with wry reference to how he could be a prominently polarizing figure.
Mr. Scaife may have been best known locally as owner of the Tribune-Review Publishing Co., which puts out editions in Pittsburgh and Greensburg in addition to operating other daily newspapers. He was also a prominent philanthropist for the past half-century through funding of the art museum at The Carnegie, the historic redevelopment of Station Square and numerous other institutions.
The Ligonier native's influence, however, ranged far beyond Pittsburgh, Westmoreland County and the rest of the region where he spent his life.
He donated widely not just to Republican political candidates -- Barry Goldwater's presidential run in 1964 was among the first -- but to the think tanks, research institutes and university departments whose work has been closely tied to the ascendancy of right-wing ideology since the Reagan presidency.
The public foundations and private trusts controlled by Mr. Scaife have been major backers of the Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Hoover Institute in California and the Georgetown University Center for Strategic and International Studies, among many institutions linked to the right. "He is nothing less than the financial archangel for the movement's intellectual underpinnings," the Wall Street Journal once said of Mr. Scaife.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2014/07/04/Tribune-Review-publisher-Scaife-dies/stories/201407040150#ixzz36bDYPPar
I, for one, won't "rejoice" Scaife' departure, as I would cluck my tongue at his the waste of opportunity to learn something in life. And, this is what makes me shake my head... Old money passes on … So much opportunity to learn. But, you would have thought after attending Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, then flunking out of a private university like Yale after being disciplined for out of control partying, perhaps you would learned something when you returned home to get a degree of Pitt (degree, British history!) Hey, at least it's history.
Instead, Scaife took control of the foundation's money, and became one of the earliest seeds in starting "think tanks" to move against everything liberal. Look at what Scaife did in particular the Clinton's during their 8 years in Washington. I see examples of what passes as the Tribune Media "conservative news, and balanced views". That ridiculous nonsense feeds all the misguided fools in this part of the state.
Then, surprise… all is forgiven by the Clinton's, because….Scaife became a 6 figure contributor to the William J Clinton Foundation.
Yes, good-bye, Richard Mellon Scaife. Falling off of a horse at the age of nine must have influenced something in your limbic brain. You probably hated your caregivers, which explains a lot. The Clintons just sucked up to you, as they had plenty of practice and probably count on that sort of person who remained uninformed to the end of his life.
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It went overboard in dedicating the entire first section to him. 
Yes, that connection to the Clintons is very unseemly, IMO. Makes me wonder about Hillary. One article said that after their meeting, he endorsed her in the democratic primary.
I see your and raise you another
My theory on the Clintonion backing is her ability to deliver on the only industry which lubricates the world these days, besides debt… the military!
These people are more out of touch than ever. She donated all her recent honoraria to the Clinton's own foundation. The people are in a class of their own.
Guess you know who I'm not supporting...
What are you implying? 
Did you read?
