Ted Jorgensen: The Biological Father of the Second Richest Man in the World

A lot of people think that every successful person must have extraordinary parents and a special upbringing that contributed to his accomplishments.

This isn’t true, though. In fact, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, never knew who his biological father was!

Ted Jorgensen, Bezos’ biological father, was estranged from the family when his son was just a one-year-old.

The two lost contact, and it wasn’t until recently that Jorgensen discovered that Jeff Bezos was his son.

Read on to know the sad story of Jeff Bezos’ estranged father, Ted Jorgensen.

Background on Ted Jorgensen

Ted Jorgensen was born in Chicago in 1944. Later on, he moved to New Mexico, where, as a teenager, he worked in the circus. He was a talented performer, often on the unicycle.

This wasn’t the most profitable job for Ted, so he started working in multiple low-wage retail jobs until he got married for the first time.

Marriage to Jackie Gise

In 1962, Jorgensen, only 18, met Jacquilyn Gise. The pair quickly got married, having barely known each other. A couple of years later, Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen was born.

Still, being blessed with a son wasn’t enough to keep the teenage couple together. The couple got a divorce almost as quickly as their marriage when Jeff was only one year old.

This divorce, finalized in 1965, resulted from Ted’s drinking habits, which often led to a bad temper. However, it turned out to be for the best since Ted later got sober, and Jackie remarried Cuban immigrant Miguel Bezos.

Second Marriage

The divorce and loss of family left Jorgensen in a depressed state. Still, he turned things around, and eventually, Jorgensen got sober.

Several years later, Ted married his second wife, Linda. Together, the couple raised four children; Mike, Lee, Darin, and Todd, though none were his biological children.

Career

In 1976, Ted moved to Phoenix, Arizona. There, he opened his first bike shop, Road Runner Bike Center, which turned out to be a success.

Six years later, Ted took his business to Glendale. The store was a hit among locals, with amazing Yelp reviews.

Relationship With Jeff Bezos

 

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After the divorce, Ted barely had any contact with his ex-wife and son. In fact, Jackie requested that Jorgensen not interfere with her new family.

When Jeff was only four years old, Miguel Bezos legally adopted him, leaving Ted’s name completely out of the picture.

Nevertheless, Jorgensen didn’t consider himself to be a good guy. He willingly approved of the adoption, especially since he knew Jeff would have a much better life with Miguel.

In addition, Jorgensen admitted to having had problems. “I wasn’t a good father or a good husband,” he stated in an interview with reporter Brad Stones.

Ted had no contact with the Bezos family whatsoever. In fact, he forgot the family’s last name. This resulted in him knowing absolutely nothing about his only biological son’s life, despite Bezos being the founder of one of the most successful companies in the world.

It was only in 2012 that Jorgensen found out Bezos was his biological son. Brad Stones, who was writing a biography about the business mogul, got in touch with Jorgensen for more information. Otherwise, Ted would’ve never found out about the existence of his son.

“I’m his biological father, and I just want to shake his hand and tell him he’s done well and be recognized as his father.”

Ted repeatedly expressed his wish to meet Jeff. He had hoped the publicity about his emergence would bring Jeff to agree to meet him. However, he only received a letter from Bezos, the content of which remains unknown.

Death

Unfortunately, Jorgensen passed away without having his wish realized. Ted died on the 16th of March 2015, almost two years after knowing who his biological son was.

Jorgensen died at 71 due to natural causes and was buried in Arizona.

In Conclusion

Ted Jorgensen, a bike shop owner, was Jeff Bezos’ biological father. The pair lost contact when Jeff was only a one-year-old.

This was due to Ted’s bad drinking habits, which led to him completely forgetting the last name of the man that adopted his biological son.

When Jorgensen was approached by a reporter about Bezos’ biography, the 69-year-old was stunned to find out the extent of his son’s success. However, Ted admitted to being a bad father and only wished to meet Jeff, his only biological son.

Sadly, Bezos only sent a letter to his father. In 2015, Jorgensen passed away without ever meeting his son.

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