Dan Jewett and MacKenzie Scott. (Photo via The Giving Pledge)

MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire philanthropist whose fortune is tied to the early days of Amazon, has married Seattle science teacher Dan Jewett.

Scott was previously married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, but the couple divorced in 2019 after 25 years of marriage.

Jewett is a science teacher at Lakeside, the exclusive north Seattle private school that’s best known as the alma mater of Microsoft co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen.

In a March 6 message on The Giving Pledge web site — a site where the ultra rich pledge their fortunes to charity — Jewett writes on MacKenzie Scott’s page:

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. 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.

Scott, a novelist who met Bezos at hedge fund D.E. Shaw in New York, is the 22nd richest person in the world with a net worth estimated at $53.5 billion, according to Bloomberg. The news was first reported in The Wall Street Journal.

In recent months, Scott has amplified her philanthropic giving. Last December, she committed $4 billion to 384 non-profits, educational institutions and charities. At the time of the donations, she called the pandemic a “wrecking ball” for many Americans.

In a statement provided by Amazon to GeekWire, Bezos said: “Dan is such a great guy, and I am happy and excited for the both of them.”

One Lakeside parent who connected with GeekWire said that Jewett is a well liked teacher at the school. He previously taught at the Bush School, another private school in Seattle. Jewett is no longer listed as a faculty member on the Lakeside online directory.

Bezos, who announced his plans to step down from the CEO role at Amazon earlier this year, is dating TV host and helicopter pilot Lauren Sanchez.

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