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Jacklyn, Jeff and Miguel Bezos Smile for a Photo | Source: Getty Images
Jacklyn, Jeff and Miguel Bezos Smile for a Photo | Source: Getty Images

Jeff Bezos' Family Includes Philanthropic Parents & a Brother Who Has Been to Space with Blue Origin

Akhona Zungu
Nov 09, 2022
12:15 P.M.

Jeff Bezos was born into his mother's first marriage as the eldest sibling in his family, followed by his sister, Christina, and his brother, Mark. In light of her brothers' Blue Origin space flight, Christina affectionately recalled when they would play characters from the Star Trek movies as children.

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The Bezoses are among the wealthiest families worldwide. While Jeff is the most affluent of all his family members, the former Amazon CEO has maintained a close relationship with his parents, Jacklyn and Miguel, and siblings, Christina and Mark.

Jacklyn and Miguel's son also married and started his own family. Sadly, he divorced his wife of over two decades, MacKenzie Scott, for another woman. Moreover, because of Jeff's high-profile status and consistent public appearances, most Bezos family members guard their privacy.

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Jeff Bezos' Parents Are Now Billionaires

As a 17-year-old, Jacklyn Bezos became a mother when she welcomed her son, Jeff, with her ex-husband Ted Jorgensen in New Mexico, Albuquerque. Ted ran a local bike shop. It's unclear when the couple married, but Ted and Jacklyn divorced in 1965.

It wasn't long before Jacklyn met Miguel "Mike" Bezos, a Cuban immigrant who moved to the US as a 15-year-old. Miguel settled in the country and was employed by Exxon as an engineer. After he and Jacklyn met, the couple fell in love and relocated to Houston, Texas.

Miguel then became Jeff's adoptive father when he turned four, and Jeff soon took the engineer's last name. When the founder of Amazon presented the online store idea to his mom and adoptive dad in 1995, the couple lent him over $240,000 to kickstart the business.

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It was a pretty hefty and risky investment, considering the internet was relatively new at the time. However, it clearly paid off as Miguel and Jacklyn's son became the wealthiest person in the world in July 2021. By that time, Jeff had a $200 billion net worth, with Amazon having amassed $1 trillion.

Jeff Bezos Has 2 Siblings

Miguel and Jacklyn Bezos welcomed two children into their union, starting with Christina. Christina is believed to be in her early 50s and works as a co-director for the Bezos Family Foundation. She married another co-director of the nonprofit, Stephen Poore.

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Since she and her husband keep a low profile, it's unknown if the couple has any children. Last year, Christina shared short and sweet messages for her brothers before their brief visit to space on the New Shepard spacecraft.

She marveled over Jeff's impressive achievement, reminding him he'd dreamed of going to space his whole life, and found his passion "infectious." Christina also had a message for Mark, saying he was "the best champion" when it came to encouraging her and Jeff in their adventures.

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In light of the historical Blue Origins moment, Christina also reminded her brothers, Jeff and Mark, of their childhood memories. The siblings would play characters from the Star Wars film franchise, with Christina as Lieutenant Uhara, Jeff as Captain Kirk, and Mark would be Sulu.

Jeff seemed to be the most mischievous of the Bezos siblings. The Blue Origins founder once purposefully messed with an electrical alarm to stop his brother and sister from entering his room. While there's little available about his relationship with Christina, her words indicate a warm connection between them.

Jeff and Mark have been more open about their brotherhood, with Jeff referring to Mark as his "closest friend." Mark is more public about his life than his older sister and has accrued impressive wealth.

Mark joined his older brother on the first human space flight that Blue Origins launched last year. He couldn't have been more honored and recalled feeling "unbelievably good" during those few minutes before landing back on earth.

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The youngest Bezos sibling is reportedly six years younger than Jeff, making him 52 as of this year. He's a Texas Christian University alumnus with a degree in Public Relations and Advertising attained in 1992. He worked in a few ad firms before establishing his own in 1999.

Today, Mark is the CEO and founder of the private equity firm HighPost Capital, a volunteer firefighter, and a leadership council member of the New York-based nonprofit Robinhood. He's married to a lady name Lisa, and the couple has four children; Drew, Ellie, Mia, and Oliver.

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Jeff's Parents Founded the Bezos Family Foundation

Jacklyn and Miguel Bezos are the President and Vice President of the Bezos Family Foundation, respectively. The couple co-founded the nonprofit, which has geared its focus toward creating grants and curating programs that aid the success of youth interested in learning science.

Jeff Divorced Mackenzie Scott over His Affair with Lauren Sanchez

Jeff Bezos married philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott in 1993, and the couple welcomed four children into their union. MacKenzie drew her first breath in San Fransisco on April 7, 1970. As an author, some of her well-known works include her 2005 novel "The Testing of Luthor Albright" and 2013's "Traps."

Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott pose for a picture as they arrive at the Robin Hood Foundation's annual benefit on May 12, 2014, in New York City | Source: Getty Images

Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott pose for a picture as they arrive at the Robin Hood Foundation's annual benefit on May 12, 2014, in New York City | Source: Getty Images

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While MacKenzie did guard her personal life, her privacy unraveled for a while when her ex-husband's affair with news anchor Lauren Sanchez was publicized in 2019. Following the heartbreaking news, MacKenzie and Jeff divorced. She received 25% shares in Amazon and now owns 4% of the company.

MacKenzie then signed a Giving Pledge, stating that she would give away nearly half her wealth while she lived. At the time of the outlet's publication, she had already donated $12.7 billion to over 1200 nonprofit organizations. Her husband's relationship with Lauren is currently still ongoing.

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Jeff Bezos Has 3 Sons & 1 Adopted Daughter

Bezos and his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, received equal custody of their children. The Amazon founder has guarded them against the limelight, and very little information is available about their lives or even their names. Regardless, Jeff does enjoy dinners and outings with his sons and daughter from time to time.

However, a slight exception is the Amazon founder's firstborn, Preston Bezos, named after his dad's middle name. Preston enrolled in his dad's alma mater, Princeton University, and enjoys Mexican food. He also deemed Miami his most favored holiday destination.

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