| Melinda Gates Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 6 in |
| Weight | 60 kg |
| Date of Birth | August 15, 1964 |
| Zodiac Sign | Leo |
| Religion | Catholicism |
Melinda Gates is an American philanthropist and author who is widely recognized as the former spouse of the business magnate, investor, author, philanthropist, humanitarian, and co-founder of the Microsoft Corporation Bill Gates. She is a former general manager at Microsoft and had co-founded one of the world’s biggest private charitable organizations Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. She has written a number of books like The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World (2019). Melinda is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the UCSF medal in 2013. Melinda Gates has been a regular feature in the Forbes’ list of the “World’s Most Powerful Women” having been placed in its 6th spot in 2011, 2018, and 2019.
Born Name
Melinda Ann French
Nick Name
Melinda
Sun Sign
Leo
Born Place
Dallas, Texas, United States
Nationality
Education
She went to St. Monica Catholic School and graduated as valedictorian from Ursuline Academy of Dallas in 1982. She then attended Duke University acquiring a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Economics in 1986, after which she enrolled in Duke’s Fuqua School of Business in 1987 obtaining an MBA in 1987. At Duke, she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, Beta Rho Chapter.
Occupation
Philanthropist, Author, Co-Chair and Founder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Former General Manager at Microsoft
Family
- Father –Â Raymond Joseph French Jr. (Aerospace Engineer)
- Mother – Elaine Agnes Amerland (Homemaker)
- Siblings – She has 1 older sister and 2 younger brothers.
Build
Average
Height
5 ft 6 in or 167.5 cm
Weight
60 kg or 132 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
She has dated –
- Bill Gates (1987-2021) – Melinda first met Bill at a sales meeting in New York. They dated for 7 years before finally getting married on January 1, 1994, in Lanai, Hawaii. The couple has 3 children together namely Jennifer Katharine (b. April 26, 1996), Rory John (b. May 23, 1999), and Phoebe Adele (b. September 14, 2002). On May 3, 2021, the couple decided to separate and filed for divorce after 27 years of marriage and 34 years of being a couple. Their divorce was finalized on August 2, 2021.
- Jon Du Pre (2022-Present) – In 2022, Melinda was rumored to be dating former correspondent for Fox News and communications specialist Jon Du Pre. The couple reportedly attended the NBA game together in April 2022.
Race / Ethnicity
White
Hair Color
Light Brown
She often tends to dye her hair in different shades.
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Cheerful smile
Religion
Catholicism
Melinda Gates Favorite Things
- Color – Blue
- Travel Destination – Australia
- Cereal –Â Wheat Chex
Source – Geek Wire
Melinda Gates Facts
- At school, she was the top student in her class.
- After completing her MBA, Melinda had been offered a job at IBM where she had worked for many summers, the reason why it was the natural choice to kickstart her career there. However, a hiring manager at IBM had actually steered her away from the Dallas-based job after hearing from her that she had one more interview left to take that was at Microsoft, reasoning that the chance for advancement at the young company was terrific. It was after this that Melinda took a marketing manager position at what soon became one of the biggest companies in the U.S. information technology industry.
- Melinda has revealed that she loves the mornings and has typically woken up around 6:30 a.m. She has then usually spent the first hour in quiet time doing meditation, a little bit of stretching, and yoga, which has always been followed by some kind of spiritual reading.
- Melinda has declared that if she ever happened to get stranded on a deserted island with her then-husband Bill and could have only 1 item, it would definitely be her best friend. Bill would go for an internet connection, and so she would bring along her buddy to keep her company while her husband would be busy online.
- In April 2021, Melinda had purchased a $1.2 million cottage (4-bedroom, 2-bathroom) in Seattle’s North Broadway neighborhood, which was 3 weeks before filing for divorce in May 2021.
- Bill Gates and Melinda had waited until 2021 to get divorced because they wanted their youngest daughter Phoebe Adele to turn 18. Phoebe had finally turned 18 in September 2020.
- Melinda was the 5th most powerful woman in the world in 2021 as per Forbes magazine.
Featured Image by Melinda Gates / Instagram
