Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, marries Seattle School teacher

MacKenzie Scott, the philanthropist formerly married to Jeff Bezos, remarried after her 2019 divorce from Amazon.com Inc.

founder, according to a person familiar with the case.

Mrs. Scott, one of the world’s richest women, is married to Dan Jewett, a science teacher at a private school in Seattle, according to the person.

Ms. Scott has recently devoted much of her time to philanthropic endeavors for the benefit of women-run charities, food banks, and black colleges, among other institutions. Since her divorce, Ms. Scott has given away more than $ 4 billion of her fortune, according to a report she wrote on Medium in December.

In a post on Saturday to Ms. Scott’s page on the Giving Pledge website, for billionaires who have pledged to donate most of their fortunes to philanthropic endeavors, Mr. Jewett agreed to her commitment.

“It is strange to write a letter stating that I intend to give away most of my wealth during my lifetime, as I have never attempted to amass the kind of wealth it takes to feel like such a thing would have special significance, “said Mr. Jewett’s post says.

“Dan is such a great guy, and I’m happy and excited for both,” Mr. Bezos said in a statement from an Amazon spokesperson.

Mrs. Scott and Mr. Jewett could not be immediately reached for comment on Sunday.

Mrs. Scott and Mr. Bezos, both graduates of Princeton University, met while working at a hedge fund in New York. She helped start Amazon in 1994 and is the author of two novels. Her Amazon author page now states that she “lives in Seattle with her four children and husband Dan.”

At the time of their divorce in 2019, after 25 years of marriage, Mr. Bezos was the richest person in the world, with an Amazon share of more than 16%. Ms. Scott received 4% of Amazon’s stock as part of their divorce settlement, even though Bezos held the voting rights on those shares.

Mrs. Scott joined the Giving Pledge in May 2019, shortly after the terms of her divorce with Mr. Bezos were finalized. The pledge was started in 2010 by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Mr. Bezos has not joined the pledge.

Amazon’s company has been a major beneficiary of the pandemic, pushing up the stock price. Mr. Bezos, after pushing for the title with Elon Musk for a while, is once again the richest person in the world, with a net worth of about $ 177 billion, according to Forbes and Bloomberg wealth rankings. Mrs. Scott ranks the 22nd richest person, at approximately $ 53 billion.

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

“In a fluke, I married one of the most generous and kind people I know – and join her in passing on tremendous financial wealth to serve others,” said Mr. Jewett in his Giving Pledge letter.

Write to Dana Mattioli at [email protected]

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