Jeff Bezos wasn’t near his organic father. The Amazon founder has spoken fondly about his mom, Jaclyn Gise, however little is understood about his father, Ted Jorgenson.
Jaclyn and Ted married in 1964 and have been collectively for 17 months. She gave start to Jeff when she was 17 years outdated. Shortly after their marriage dissolved, Jaclyn moved on to marry Miguel Bezos in 1968, who adopted her son and gave Jeff his present surname.
Ted Jorgensen drifted away from his son to the purpose that he had no clue that his son was a billionaire or the CEO of one of many largest e-commerce websites up to now. “Jorgensen stated he didn’t know who Jeff Bezos was and was baffled by my suggestion that he was the daddy of this well-known CEO,” creator Brad Stone wrote in his e book The Every little thing Retailer: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon when he approached the bike store proprietor. “The outdated man’s face flushed with recognition. ‘Is he nonetheless alive?’ he requested, not but absolutely comprehending.” Ted admitted he “wasn’t a great father or a husband” in his youthful days.
Ted confessed that it was the “largest mistake” to chop off contact along with his ex-wife and son in an interview with Inside Version in 2014. He died in 2015.
Jeff Bezos revealed that he by no means was in touch along with his actual father after her mom divorced him. He advised Wired in 1999, “I’ve by no means met him.”
The Every little thing Retailer: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
On Sale 33% off
“However the actuality, so far as I’m involved, is that my Dad is my pure father,” he continued. “The one time I ever give it some thought, genuinely, is when a health care provider asks me to fill out a type. It’s a superb fact to have on the market. I’m not embarrassed by it.”
In the meantime, Jeff had a loving relationship along with his mother and father. Miguel and Jackie have been the primary buyers in Amazon, giving $245,000 for the then-book e-commerce web site in 1995.
He even credited his step-father to be a “function mannequin” in his life. He spoke of Miguel on the 2022 Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Awards, “I feel in each immigrant you’ll discover a deep optimism and a deep resilience too. My dad is an intense laborious employee. My dad is heat and he teaches a simple smile.” Miguel and Jackie served as founding members of the Bezos Household Basis.
The Washington Put up proprietor introduced the dying of his mom on Aug. 14, 2025 weeks after his wedding ceremony to Lauren Sánchez. “Her maturity began a bit of bit early when she grew to become my mother on the tender age of 17,” the Amazon founder wrote in a tribute on social media. “That couldn’t have been simple, however she made all of it work. She pounced on the job of loving me with ferocity, introduced my superb dad onto the crew a couple of years later, after which added my sister and brother to her record of individuals to like, guard, and nourish. For the remainder of her life, that record of individuals to like by no means stopped rising. She at all times gave a lot greater than she ever requested for.”
