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]
Early life
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 life
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]