Jackie Bezos
Jacklyn Bezos | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jacklyn Gise December 29, 1946 |
| Occupation | Philanthropist |
| Known for | Mother of Jeff Bezos, founding member of the Bezos Family Foundation |
Jacklyn Bezos (, née Jorgensen; born December 29, 1946) is the mother of Jeff and Mark Bezos. She provided the seed capital that enabled the creation of Amazon.com and is a founding member of the Bezos Family Foundation.
Early life
Born Jacklyn Gise on December 29, 1946, she was the daughter of Lawrence Preston Gise (1915–1995), an employee at Sandia National Laboratories, and Mattie Louise Strait Gise (1915–1977). Raised in Bernalillo, New Mexico, she completed her secondary education in Albuquerque. Notably, her second cousin is country music artist George Strait.
During her high school years, Jacklyn was romantically involved with unicyclist Ted Jorgensen. At age 16 in 1963, she became pregnant and married Jorgensen that same year in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, followed by a U.S. ceremony on July 19. Their son, Jeff Bezos, was born on January 12, 1964, just two weeks after her 17th birthday. His birth name was Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen. Although her pregnancy initially led to resistance from her high school regarding graduation, she ultimately earned her diploma but was prohibited from participating in social activities with peers.
Financial hardships and alcohol problems affected Jorgensen, prompting Jacklyn’s father to pay for his schooling. She eventually left Jorgensen to reside with her parents and filed for divorce in June 1965 when Jeff was seventeen months old.
Adult life
After completing high school, Jacklyn secured a secretarial position earning $190 monthly and moved into an apartment with Jeff. She balanced day work with night classes, often bringing Jeff along.
It was during these night classes that Jacklyn met Cuban immigrant Miguel Bezos, whom she later wed. With Jorgensen’s consent, Miguel legally adopted Jeff. The family moved to Houston, Texas, where they requested Jorgensen cease contact and gave up custody rights. Jacklyn and Miguel expanded their family with two additional children: daughter Christina and son Mark Bezos.
Jacklyn earned her college degree from Saint Elizabeth University at age 40, two decades after beginning higher education.
In 1995, Jacklyn and Miguel extended a loan of $245,573 to Jeff to launch Amazon.com, acquiring a 6% ownership stake in return. Subsequently, they relocated to Florida.
Together, Jacklyn and Miguel established the Bezos Family Foundation and serve as principal benefactors. Their philanthropy through the foundation includes contributions totaling $710.5 million to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
See also
- Jacklyn (ship), a Blue Origin rocket landing platform vessel named in honor of Jacklyn Bezos
- Jacklyn (barge), a Blue Origin rocket landing platform barge bearing Jacklyn Bezos’s name