Thomas Mellon, leader in Bucks

Thomas E. Mellon Jr., 65, of Doylestown, a prominent Bucks County lawyer and former federal prosecutor, died Tuesday, Jan. 15, at his home after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

Mr. Mellon won a $6 billion judgment in federal court against al-Qaeda for relatives of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

He also had leading roles in litigation against the tobacco industry and the makers of fen-phen, the weight-loss drug combination that was found to cause heart-valve damage.

Mr. Mellon earned a bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's University in 1969, a law degree from Georgetown University in 1972, and a master's degree from Harvard University in 1974. He also earned a master's degree in bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012.

He served seven years in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia, rising to the position of chief of the criminal division.

Peter Vaira, who took over as U.S. attorney during a tumultuous period, promoted Mr. Mellon to chief and said he was "one of my guys who helped save my office."

In 1980, Mr. Mellon unsuccessfully campaigned to become Bucks County district attorney. He later served as chairman of the Democratic Party in Bucks County.

He founded his private firm in the early 1980s, and it continues today as Mellon & Webster P.C.

Mr. Mellon was a past president of the Bucks County Bar Association and the Bucks County Legal Aid Society.

In 1999, he organized the first visit of American lawyers to Cuba since Fidel Castro took power.

He was active with other local lawyers in providing aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina in Hancock County, Miss.

Mr. Mellon is survived by his wife and law partner, Sara M. Webster; sons Thomas 3d, Christopher, Ryan, and Henry; his father, Thomas E. Sr.; a granddaughter; and two brothers. His first wife, Marilyn Mellon, also survives.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 6587 Upper York Rd., Solebury. Burial will follow in Doylestown Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to Thomas E. Mellon Jr. Scholarship Fund, c/o Bucks County Bar Association, 135 E. State St., Doylestown, Pa. 18901, or to Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, 3451 Walnut St., Philadelphia 19104.