Miguel Bezos

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Bezos and the second or maternal family name is Pérez.
Miguel Bezos
Born
Miguel Ángel Bezos Pérez

(1945-09-29) September 29, 1945
Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
NationalityAmerican
Other namesMike Bezos
EmployerExxonMobil
Organization(s)Amazon.com, Bezos Family Foundation
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1968; died 2025)​
FamilyJeff Bezos (adoptive son)
Mark Bezos (son)
Christine (daughter)

Miguel Ángel "Mike"[1] Bezos Pérez (Spanish: [miˈɣel ˈβesos]; born (1945-09-29)September 29, 1945) is a Cuban-American billionaire and philanthropist who provided the initial investment to launch Amazon.com. He is a co-founder of the Bezos Family Foundation, which he currently serves as chair of the board of directors.

He is the adoptive father of Jeff Bezos, the father of Mark Bezos, and was the husband to Jackie Bezos.

Early life

Miguel Ángel Bezos was born in 1945 or 1946[2][3] in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, and was raised with his brother and sister. His father, Salvador Bezos, was originally from Spain,[4] owned a lumber mill and his mother was a part-time shopkeeper, selling fabric and infant clothing. His parents were supporters of Fidel Castro until Castro shifted his political stance towards Marxism–Leninism, seizing the family's lumber business. Bezos' family applied for Miguel to get a refugee visa from the United States.[2] The application was successful and he departed Havana Airport for Miami on July 21,[2] 1962, aged sixteen.[3]

Upon arrival in the United States, Bezos was housed at Camp Matecumbe along with about 400 other Cuban refugee children.[2] Three weeks later,[1] Bezos and his cousin Ángel were relocated to attend a high school at Salesianum School in Wilmington, Delaware, and he lived in housing provided by a Catholic religious order, The Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales.[2]

Adult life

Bezos graduated from high school at the age of 17 and briefly relocated to Washington, D.C. He was awarded a funded scholarship at the University of Albuquerque in New Mexico, he initially majored in mechanical engineering, but he switched his major and graduated with a degree in computer science.[2] While studying, he met Jackie Gise at night school, later marrying her.[5] Gise was the mother of Jeff Bezos whom Miguel later adopted, with the approval of Ted Jorgensen, Jeff's biological father.[6] Miguel Bezos graduated university in the fall of 1968, and took a job at Exxon,[2] in Houston, Texas.[5] In Houston, Jackie and Miguel had two more children, a daughter, Christina, and a son, Mark Bezos.[7] Bezos remained working for Exxon for 32 years.[3]

In 1995, Jacklyn and Miguel gave Jeff a loan of $245,573 (equivalent to $506,752 in 2024) to start Amazon.com,[8] leaving them both with 6% equity.[9] Bezos and his wife Jackie were co-founders of,[2] and major donors to, the Bezos Family Foundation.[10] Through the foundation, they donated $710.5 million to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.[11] They have relocated from Texas to Florida.[5] For over 20 years, Miguel served as vice-president of the foundation, while Jackie served as president, with both then becoming the co-chairs of the foundation after John E. Deasy became its president in 2023.[12][13] On August 14, 2025, Jackie, his wife of more than 57 years, died following a long battle with Lewy body dementia.[14] As of August 15, 2025, Bezos serves as the only chair of the foundation's board of director.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Clifford, Catherine (2019-05-16). "Jeff Bezos says dad emigrated from Cuba alone at 16: 'His grit, determination, optimism are inspiring'". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Miguel Bezos". National Museum of American History. 2017-03-16. Archived from the original on 2020-12-24. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  3. ^ a b c Robinson, Circles (2023-01-15). "One Brave Cuban Boy and Amazon". Havana Times. Archived from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  4. ^ "Ancestral Spanish Village of Jeff Bezos Asks Billionaire For Help". EuroWeeklyNews. 2021-02-07. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  5. ^ a b c Lipchik, Saul (2022-08-16). "Meet Jeff Bezos' billionaire parents, Jacklyn and Miguel 'Mike' Bezos". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  6. ^ Barr, Alistair (October 10, 2013). "Bike shop owner discovers he's father of Amazon founder". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  7. ^ "Meet Mark Bezos, accompanying big bro Jeff Bezos on his upcoming space flight". South China Morning Post. 2021-06-13. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  8. ^ Mejia, Zameena (2018-08-02). "Jeff Bezos got his parents to invest nearly $250,000 in Amazon in 1995 — they might be worth $30 billion today". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  9. ^ Neate, Rupert (2018-04-25). "Jeff Bezos: the boy who wanted to colonise space". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  10. ^ Metcalf, Tom (2018-07-31). "A hidden Amazon fortune: Bezos' parents could be worth billions - BNN Bloomberg". BNN Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  11. ^ Mustak, Dayana (2022-10-12). "Bezos Family to Donate $711 Million to Cancer Center in Seattle". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  12. ^ "Jackie Bezos". Aspen Ideas. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  13. ^ "Dr. John Deasy Named New President of Bezos Family Foundation". Bezos Family Foundation. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  14. ^ Hurtado, Yamillah (August 14, 2025). "Jackie Bezos, Jeff Bezos' Mom, Dies at 78". People. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  15. ^ "Our Founders". Bezos Family Foundation. August 15, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
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