Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, marries Seattle school teacher

Ms. Scott has dedicated much of her time recently to philanthropic efforts for the benefit of charities run by women, food banks and black colleagues, among other institutions. Since her divorce, Ms. Scott has donated more than $ 4 billion in wealth, according to a post she wrote to Medium in December.

In a post dated Saturday on Ms. Scott’s Giving Pledge website for billionaires who have vowed to donate most of their fortunes to philanthropic efforts, Mr. Jewett has pledged.

“It is strange to write a letter stating that I intend to give most of my wealth during my life, as I have never sought to gather the kind of wealth needed to feel that such a thing would make special sense,” said Mr. Jewett’s post says.

“Dan is such a great guy and I’m happy and excited for both of us,” Bezos said in a statement provided by an Amazon spokesman.

Ms Scott and Mr Jewett could not be reached immediately for comments on Sunday.

Ms. Scott and Mr. Bezos, both graduates of Princeton University, met while working for a New York hedge fund. She helped him set up Amazon in 1994 and is the author of two novels. The author’s Amazon page now says she “lives in Seattle with her four children and her husband, Dan.”

At the time of the divorce in 2019, after 25 years of marriage, Mr. Bezos was the richest person in the world, with his stake of over 16% in Amazon. Ms. Scott received 4% of Amazon’s shares as part of the divorce settlement, although Mr. Bezos retained the voting rights for those shares.

Ms. Scott joined Giving Pledge in May 2019, shortly after the divorce deadlines with Mr. Bezos were completed. The engagement was initiated by Bill, Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett in 2010. Mr. Bezos did not join the engagement.

Amazon’s business has been a major beneficiary of the pandemic, raising the price of its shares. Mr. Bezos, after flipping for a while with Elon Musk for the title, ranks again as the richest person in the world, with a net worth of about $ 177 billion, according to Forbes and Bloomberg’s wealth rankings. Mrs. Scott ranks 22nd with the richest person, around $ 53 billion.

Mr. Jewett is a teacher at Lakeside School, according to the school’s website.

“In a happy coincidence, I am married to one of the most generous and kind people I know – and I join them in their commitment to pass on enormous financial wealth to serve others,” Mr Jewett said in his letter. Giving Pledge.

Write to Dana Mattioli at [email protected]