Who IS billionaire Mackenzie Scott's new husband Dan Jewett? How Seattle chemistry teacher who made his start at Pennsylvania public school bonded with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' ex over shared passion for philanthropy
Billionaire Mackenzie Scott's surprise announcement that she has remarried just two years after divorcing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has left many clamoring to know more about the man who captured her heart.
Dan Jewett, a chemistry teacher at the $38,000-a-year private school where Scott's children are enrolled, is incredibly private, much like his new wife. However the couple appears to have bonded over their shared love of philanthropy — even using their marriage announcement as a way to draw attention to a charitable initiative.
Jewett — who was educated at a Christian college in Pennsylvania — has been a teacher at Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington, since 2016, having previously taught at one of the city's other top private institutions.
The couple met at the school where Jewett taught, but in the wake of their marriage announcement, his name appears to have been scrubbed from its database of teachers, suggesting that he is no longer working there.
It may be that he plans to dedicate more of his time to the philanthropic work that took center stage in Jewett and Scott's marriage announcement. Scott, 50, is one of the world's richest women with an estimated net worth of $53 billion, and Jewett has joined her in signing the Giving Pledge — a campaign that encourages the uber-rich to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.
It was on the site created by billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet that Jewett publicly announced his marriage to Scott for the first time, while referencing the 'generosity' of his new wife.
Happy: MacKenzie Scott, who is worth an estimated $53 billion, has married science teacher Dan Jewett following her 2019 divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
Educator: Jewett has been a teacher for over two decades and has been working at the Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington, since 2016
Scott, who is an author and philanthropist, has also changed her Amazon biography page to say she lives in Seattle with her four children and husband Dan.
A source confirmed Scott and Jewett's marriage to the Wall Street Journal.
Steve and Jean Case; Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan; and Sara Blakely are among those who have signed the pledge, and the long-time teacher admitted that he had never imagined he would have the kind of money that would allow him to be a part of such a campaign.
Indeed, his participation in the initiative only appears to have been made possible by the wealth of his new wife.
'It is strange to be writing a letter indicating I plan to give away the majority of my wealth during my lifetime, as I have never sought to gather the kind of wealth required to feel like saying such a thing would have particular meaning,' he wrote in his post that was shared on Saturday.
'I have been a teacher for the majority of my life, as well as a grateful student of the generosity of those around me. This has meant doing my best to follow their example by passing on resources of all kinds — from time, to energy, to material possessions — when I have had them to give.
'And now, in a stroke of happy coincidence, I am married to one of the most generous and kind people I know — and joining her in a commitment to pass on an enormous financial wealth to serve others.'
What Jewett did not share were the details of how the couple's romance first began, nor the date of when they actually tied the knot. In fact, the teacher has kept much of his personal life very much under wraps, sharing only that he has been a teacher for the 'majority' of his life.
Meeting place? Scott's children with Bezos attend the Lakeside School. The private school is for grades five to 12 and costs $38,000 per year
Philanthropists: Jewett first mentioned their marriage publicly on Saturday in a post on the Giving Pledge, a site where the uber-rich vow to dedicate the majority of their wealth to others
EDUCATION
Jewett's home state remains unknown, but he started his career in education in Pennsylvania, where he went to college.
He attended Eastern University in St. Davids and graduated from the private Christian school with a bachelor's degree in chemistry 1998.
A year later, he returned to the university pursue a master's degree in education and graduated in 2002.
TEACHING CAREER
According to Apollo, Jewett has been an educator for over two decades and has been teaching at the Lakeside School since 2016.
The private school, which counts Bill Gates among its notable alumni, is for grades five to 12 and costs $38,000 per year.
Before that, he spent five years teaching chemistry at The Bush School, a private K-12 school in Seattle. Tuition varies depending by grade, but the cost of attendance for high school students was a whopping $38,930 for the 2020-2021 school year.
It appears as though Jewett didn't move to Seattle until 2011, when he started teaching at The Bush School.
While he has worked at two of the top private schools in the area, he actually got his start as a public school teacher.
After graduating with his master's degree in 2002, he taught high school chemistry in the Lower Merion School District in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
It appears as though he didn't move to Seattle until 2011, when he started teaching at The Bush School.
Looking back: Scott, who was previously known as MacKenzie Bezos and is worth an estimated $53 billion, divorced the Amazon founder back in 2019
Family photo: Scott and Bezos were married from 1993 to 2019 and share four children together. They are all pictured together in 2016
CLOSELY-GUARDED PERSONAL LIFE
Much like his new wife, Jewett has only shared a few small details about his marriage and personal life.
He alluded to 'challenging times' in his life and his diverse friend group while explaining in his Giving Pledge post why he wants to give back.
'Kind people in my life have been instrumental in making me the person I am today —people who supported me through challenging times, showed me grace when I was at my worst, befriended me despite our differences, and offered me a home when I had none. I have been inspired to look out for others by their example,' he wrote.
The teacher went on to open up about how is friendships with different people have made him a better person.
News: Scott, who is an author and philanthropist, has also changed her Amazon biography page to say she lives in Seattle with her four children and husband Dan
'Relationships and a common humanity are foundational parts of my life and worldview. I recognize that the differences between people are vast,' he explained.
'I have been lucky to find my closest friends in people very unlike me in distinct ways: religion, sexual orientation, race, gender identity, socioeconomic background, you name it. Kindness and a willingness to find commonality despite differences has brought me together with them and changed me for the better.'
'Recognizing how much I have to learn from those unlike me has led me to a partner similarly inclined. I have seen many ways that MacKenzie has seen her efforts enhanced when she acts on the belief that those with common values but different perspectives, strengths, and experiences are essential to effecting positive change. We are united in that understanding and in our excitement for all we have to learn from so many people working in service of others.
'With that as a foundation, I join with the kindest and most thoughtful person I know in making this pledge, grateful for the exceptional privilege it will be to partner in giving away assets with the potential to do so much good when shared,' he continue.
'As others writing these letters have indicated in some form or another, I am sure that this pledge will benefit me as much as it benefits anyone else served by it. I look forward to the growth and learning I have ahead as a part of this undertaking with MacKenzie.'
Split: Scott and Bezos announced their separation in January 2019, shortly before the billionaire's affair with Lauren Sanchez was exposed. Sanchez and Jeff are still together
Scott — who helped create Amazon — has already dedicated a portion of her wealth since her divorce from Bezos in 2019. She gave away almost $6 billion last year alone.
In a Medium post in December, Scott revealed she had given away $4.1 billion in the previous four months to hundreds of organizations in a bid to help those financially gutted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She had previously donated $1.68 billion to 116 nonprofits, universities, community development groups, and legal organizations in July 2020.
Scott pledged to donate the majority of her fortune after her divorce from the world's richest man left her with a four per cent stake in Amazon, which translates to 19.7 million shares.
Her wealth surged another $30.3 billion last year after Amazon shares rocketed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bezos has so far not signed the pledge but he does routinely donate some of his wealth to charitable causes.
The Amazon founder was married to Scott from 1993 to 2019, and they share four children together.
They announced their separation back in January 2019 shortly before the billionaire's affair with Lauren Sanchez was exposed.
Their divorce was finalized in April 2019 with Bezos keeping 75 per cent of the couple's stock and Scott receiving shares worth roughly $35 billion at the time.
Sanchez and Jeff are still together.
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