".

             According to a book entitled Mellon's Millions: The Biography of a Fortune; the Life and Times of Andrew W. Mellon, during his thirties Andrew Mellon wealth increased. This was also during the time when he began to devote time to public affairs. Andrew Mellon became Secretary of State on March 5, 1921 (O'Connor). O"Connor explains that Mellon"s wealth made him immune to the scrutiny that would befall most nominees for Secretary of State under President Harding (O'Connor). The author contends that Mellon entered the office with ease and began his service to the country. According to the United States Department of the Treasury Mellon served as Secretary of State from 1921 to 1932. He served under Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover respectively (History of the Treasury). .

             The book asserts that many business leaders praised him for lending his financial expertise to the nation. However, some questioned his motivation to public service. The author explains, "one tabulation of the corporations in which his family was interested showed an increase in assets from $1,690,000,000 in 1920 to $6,091,000,000 in 1928. Critics said that he had profited from the information available to a Secretary of the Treasury concerning the financial status of his competitors (O'Connor).".

             Taxation Policy and Government Spending.

             As secretary of State, Mellon made many changes to the economic policies of the country (Moley). One of the most controversial was his taxation policy. Many believed that his taxation policy favored the wealthy (Wueschner et al). However, Mellon believed that if the tax system was too burdensome it would deter people from being productive. Mellon believed that "Any man of energy and initiative in this country can get what he wants out of life. But when that initiative is crippled by legislation or by a tax system which denies him the right to receive a reasonable share of his earnings, then he will no longer exert himself and the country will be deprived of the energy on which its continued greatness depends.