Mary Maxwell Gates was an American teacher, banker, civic activist and nonprofit leader from Seattle, Washington. Born on July 5, 1929, she built a public career that spanned education, business and voluntary service, and she was also the mother of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. According to Wikipedia, Mary Ann Gates (née Maxwell) lived from July 5, 1929 to June 10, 1994 and is remembered as a banker, civic activist, non-profit executive and schoolteacher.
Who was Mary Maxwell Gates?
Mary Ann Maxwell Gates, born Mary Maxwell, worked as a teacher and went on to hold executive, civic and business responsibilities. The University of Washington describes her as a leader who promoted voluntary service and philanthropy both locally and nationally. Her public service included membership on the University of Washington Board of Regents from 1975 until 1993, a period of 18 years, and her connection with the university remains a central part of her public biography.
Early life and education
Gates grew up in Seattle’s North End and graduated from Roosevelt High School, where she was class valedictorian. She went on to attend the University of Washington, the institution she would later serve as a regent.
United Way leadership
Gates became the first female president of King County’s United Way and the first woman to serve on the national United Way executive committee. United Way records that she contributed her time and talent to the organization for many years, first as a volunteer, then as a board member and board chair of the United Way of King County. Her other volunteer responsibilities included service connected with the Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Seattle Symphony.
Business and banking work
Alongside her teaching and civic work, Gates held business and banking roles. Her affiliations included First Interstate Bank of Washington, Unigard Security Insurance Group and Pacific Northwest Bell. She served on the First Interstate Bank of Washington board of directors alongside executives including IBM’s John Opel. These positions formed one part of a career that crossed education, business and community service, and describing her solely as a teacher leaves out substantial parts of her documented public life.
Family and marriage
Gates met William H. Gates Sr. at the University of Washington, and the couple married in 1951. They had three children. Their son Bill Gates, born in 1955, later co-founded Microsoft. Her father was James Willard Maxwell, and Maxwell was her maiden name.
Mary Maxwell Gates’s height
The available source material does not provide a verified height for Mary Maxwell Gates. Records of her life list her height, weight and body measurements as unavailable, so no specific measurement can be stated responsibly. Readers searching for a confirmed figure should treat any precise number published elsewhere with caution, because the documented record focuses on her career and public service rather than her physical statistics.
Death and legacy
Mary Maxwell Gates was born in Seattle, Washington, on July 5, 1929, and died on June 10, 1994, at the age of 64. Her memory endures in public tributes: Mary Gates Memorial Drive NE was renamed in 1995 in her honor.
Biography summary
Mary Maxwell Gates combined work as a teacher and businesswoman with sustained civic and nonprofit service. Her documented roles included service on the University of Washington Board of Regents, leadership of King County’s United Way, participation in the national United Way executive committee and positions associated with banking, insurance and telecommunications organizations. Although she is frequently identified through her family relationship to Bill Gates, the record also presents her as an educator, executive and community leader in her own right.
