William Henry Gates II[1] (November 30, 1925 – September 14, 2020), better known as Bill Gates Sr., was an American attorney, philanthropist, and civic leader. He was the founder of the law firm Shidler McBroom & Gates (a predecessor of K&L Gates),[2] and also served as president of both the Seattle King County and Washington State Bar associations.[3] He was the father of Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft.[4]
Bill Gates Sr.
Gates visiting the Naz Foundation located in India in 2004
Gates was born in Bremerton, Washington, in 1925, and was the son of Lillian Elizabeth Rice (1891–1966) and William Henry Gates Jr. (1891–1969), who was himself the son of William Henry Gates, a furniture store owner and gold prospector during the Dawson Gold Rush of 1898.[5][6][4] He graduated from Bremerton High School in 1943.[7]
Gates co-founded the law firm Shidler McBroom & Gates in 1964,[2] which later became a part of Preston Gates & EllisLLP (PGE). He practiced with the firm until 1998, when it was merged into the firm now known as K&L Gates.[11][12]
Gates' legal practice focused on corporate, technology and disputes.[13] During his career he served as president of both the Seattle/King County Bar Association and the Washington State Bar Association.[14]
Gates co-authored the book Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes with Chuck Collins. It is a defense of the policies promoted by the estate tax.[21][22] He was also the author of the book Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime.[23]
Personal lifeedit
In 1951, Gates married Mary Maxwell Gates (née Maxwell) (1929–1994), whom he met at the University of Washington (UW), and they remained married until her death in 1994. They had three children: Kristianne, Bill, and Libby. His two daughters, Kristi Blake and Libby Armintrout, are both active members of the UW community.[9] He was a lifelong supporter of the Washington Huskies college football team.[18]
In 2018, it was revealed that Gates was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.[24][25] He died on September 14, 2020, aged 94, at his beach home on Hood Canal in Washington state.[4] In a tribute, his son said that his "wisdom, generosity, empathy, and humility had a huge influence on people around the world."[26][27]
Recipient of the ABA Medal (2009), the highest honor in the American legal community[13]
Recipient of Chi Psi Fraternity's Albert S. Bard Award, 2010, for contributions to the intellectual and cultural life of the community[39]
Recipient of UW Alumni Association's Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus (ASLD) Award, 2013[40]
Bill Gerberding, who was UW president from 1979 to 1995, described Gates as "a good man with a big heart [and] generous public spirit", while former Seattle mayor Norman Rice characterized Gates' core values as "social justice and economic opportunity".[9]
Referencesedit
^"Bill Gates Fast Facts". CNN. March 2, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
^ abHagerty, James R. (September 16, 2020). "Bill Gates Sr., Father of Microsoft Founder, Dies at Age 94". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^ ab"Bill Gates Sr., civic leader and father of Microsoft co-founder, dies at 94". The Seattle Times. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^ abcMcFadden, Robert D. (September 15, 2020). "Bill Gates Sr., Who Guided Billionaire Son's Philanthropy, Dies at 94". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^Johnson, Gene (September 15, 2020). "Bill Gates Sr., father of Microsoft co-founder, dies at 94". APnews.com. Associated Press. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^"Bill Gates Sr. at 90: A giant impact on technology, philanthropy and the Seattle region". GeekWire. November 25, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
^"Bill Gates, Bremerton native and father of Microsoft co-founder, dies at 94". Kitsap Sun. Associated Press. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
^"General Information – Leadership – Bill Gates Sr". GatesFoundation.org. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
^ abcdefGlascock, Stuart. "Mighty is the Man Who Wears the Purple and the Gold". UW Alumni Magazine. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
^"PCAD – University of Washington, Seattle (UW), Gates, William H. Sr., Hall, Seattle, WA". pcad.lib.washington.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^ ab"William Henry Gates Sr". Philanthropic People. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^ ab"K&L Gates Mourns Passing of Longtime Partner and Humanitarian William H. Gates Sr". www.klgates.com. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^ ab"K&L Gates Remembers Bill Gates' Lawyer Father". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
^"The University of Washington mourns the loss of Bill Gates Sr". UW News. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^ abc"Mr.William H.Gates Sr". World Justice Project. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
^"Is Bill Gates a closet liberal?". Salon.com. January 29, 1998. p. 2. Archived from the original on September 18, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
^"Transcript: Bill Moyers Interviews Bill Gates". NOW on PBS. September 5, 2003.
^ abCauce, Ana Mari (November 30, 2015). "Happy Birthday, Bill Gates Sr". University of Washington. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
^"About the Summit" (PDF). 2011. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
^"World Justice Project". Justice For All. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^"Table of contents for Wealth and our commonwealth : why America should tax accumulated fortunes / William H. Gates Sr., and Chuck Collins". Library of Congress.
^"Wealth And Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes". 60 Plus Association. March 18, 2003. pp. 57–59.
^"Bill Gates Sr.: Lessons And 'Showing Up For Life'". NPR.org. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^"Bill Gates reveals personal reason he's helping fight Alzheimer's disease". The Today Show. April 10, 2019 – via today.com.
^"Bill Gates Reveals His Father Suffers From Alzheimer's". Time. April 10, 2019.
^Stewart, Ashley (September 15, 2020). "Bill Gates Sr., father of Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, dies at age 94". Business Insider. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
^Gates, Bill (September 15, 2020). "Remembering my father". gatesnotes.com. The Gates Notes LLC. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^Townley, Alvin (January 2007). Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts. New York: St. Martin's Press (imprint: Thomas Dunne Books). pp. 172–175. ISBN 9780312366537. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
^Ray, Mark (2007). "What It Means to Be an Eagle Scout". Scouting. Retrieved January 5, 2007.
^"Past Presidents". KCBA.org. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^"History of the Bar". WSBA.org. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^issue, Columns Staff (June 2001). "Law School to return to heart of campus in new William H. Gates Hall". UW Magazine – University of Washington Magazine. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^"National Press Club – William Gates Sr". legacy.npr.org. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^"The University of Washington mourns the loss of Bill Gates Sr". UW News. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^Bernstein, Adam. "William Gates Sr., a guiding hand of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, dies at 94". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 16, 2020.