Jeff Bezos' grandfather was Lawrence Preston Gise. He was a significant figure in Bezos' life, known for his career and influence. Gise worked as a regional director for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he managed operations across several states. He retired early to his family's ranch near Cotulla, Texas, which originally spanned 25,000 acres and was later expanded by Jeff Bezos to 300,000 acres. Bezos spent many summers at this ranch during his childhood, from age four to sixteen, working alongside his grandfather and learning skills like resourcefulness and problem-solving.
Gise was born around 1915 and passed away in 1995. Beyond his professional life, he played a key role in shaping Bezos' values, teaching him lessons about self-reliance—such as fixing machinery and performing veterinary tasks on the ranch—and kindness, as highlighted in a well-known story from Bezos' 2010 Princeton commencement speech. In that anecdote, Gise gently corrected a young Bezos for upsetting his grandmother, emphasizing that "it's harder to be kind than clever."
There’s some speculation in online discussions, particularly on platforms like X, suggesting Gise had a role in founding DARPA (originally ARPA) in the late 1950s. However, this claim lacks solid evidence in widely available records. Gise’s documented career with the AEC began in the early 1960s, and while he was involved in advanced technology and defense-related work, no definitive proof ties him directly to DARPA’s creation. His influence on Bezos, though, is clear through the practical and personal lessons imparted during those formative summers in Texas.