William Newsom–Gavin Newsom Father
William Newsom, full name William Alfred Newsom III, was an American state appeals court judge, administrator of the Getty family trust, and the father of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
William Newsom’s Net Worth at Death
William had an estimated net worth of around $5 million at the time of his death, he had accumulated his worth from the versatility he had shown in each field he had worked in, and his main source of earnings was from his career as a Judge.
He was a legal adviser to Getty Oil’s Italian division before becoming a tax attorney for the Getty family. Newsom assisted in delivering the ransom money for John Paul Getty III’s release.
He married Tessa Menzies in 1967 and had two children with her (including Gavin) before divorcing after five years. In 1968, he ran unsuccessfully against popular Republican State Senator Milton Marks.
Trans-International Computer Investment Corporation (TCI) handled classified government contracts, for which Newsom received a National Security Clearance.
TCI declared bankruptcy in 1971 after what the Sacramento District Attorney called “the biggest stock fraud in California history,” with many members of Governor Reagan’s Kitchen Cabinet and appointment secretary Helene von Damm among those involved.
For the majority of 1969 and 1970, Newsom traveled throughout Europe with former SS Gestapo member Otto von Bolschwing, who was brought to the US by the CIA under Operation Paperclip and appointed TCI’s president by Getty due to his former Nazi intelligence connections and their value in obtaining defense technology contracts.
During this time, von Bolschwing introduced Newsom to the business of importing and selling wine from Argentina, a venture that Newsom’s son, Gavin, would later emulate.
Jerry Brown appointed Newsom to the Superior Court bench in Auburn (Placer County) in 1975, and later to the state Court of Appeal in San Francisco, where he served until 1995.
In this capacity, he ruled on several high-profile cases, including the right of HIV patients to privacy, the San Francisco 49ers’ liability for a player’s injury, and the prestigious Bohemian Club’s ban on hiring women.
Newsom, a supporter of rehabilitative justice, was also on a panel of judges who decided that the perpetrators of the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping would be eligible for parole.
William Newsom Wife
Newsom was married to his beautiful wife Tessa Menzies. They are the parents of Gavin Newsom.
Tessa Menzies
Tessa Menzies was an American businesswoman, knitter, and celebrity mother widely known for being the wife of William Newsom and the mother of Gavin Newsom, an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019.
Tessa Menzies Obituary
BIRTH: 28 Nov 1946
BIRTH PLACE: San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, USA
DEATH: 9 May 2002 (aged 55)
PLACE OF DEATH: San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, USA
PLACE OF BURIAL: Dutch Flat Cemetery, Dutch Flat, Placer County, California, USA
Tessa Thomas Newsom, the mother of San Francisco Supervisor Gavin Newsom, died Thursday in her San Francisco home after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 55 years old.
Mrs. Newsom, a striking and energetic woman who enjoyed antiques, knitting, and needlepoint, was most recently the controller of PlumpJack Management Group, a chain of cafes, wine shops, and other Northern California businesses owned by her son.
“My mother would knit while watching a movie. She refused to sit still “Hilary Newsom Callan, her daughter, confirmed this. “Even though she was sick, she worked seven days a week. It was absolutely incredible.”
William Newsom Cause of Death
Newsom died of ulcerative colitis on December 12, 2018, at the age of 84, at his home in San Francisco, less than a month before his son Gavin took office as governor.
William Newsom Parents
Newsom was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Christine Anne (née Brennan) and William A. Newsom II. All of his friends and family referred to him as Bill. Newsom, a lifelong San Franciscan, had longstanding political and financial ties. His father ran Pat Brown’s campaign for San Francisco District Attorney, who later became Governor of California.
Barbara Newsom, Newsom’s late sister, was married to Ron Pelosi, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s brother-in-law. He was also a close friend of Gordon Getty, son of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, who lived in his house during the 1940s while attending St. Ignatius Catholic prep school in San Francisco.
Newsom attended the University of San Francisco and Stanford Law School before being admitted to the California Bar in 1962.
