Bill Gates had an estimated net worth of US$90.6 billion at the time. , Gates had a net worth of $95.4 billion, making him the second-richest person in the world, behind Bezos. Later in his career and since leaving Microsoft, Gates pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors. He donated large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2009, Gates and Warren Buffett founded The Giving Pledge, whereby they and other billionaires pledge to give at least half of their wealth to philanthropy. The foundation works to save lives and improve
USS Thomas S. Gates the gold rays from the Presidential seal emphasize the significance of Gates's appointment, by President Gerald R. Ford, to head the U.S. Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China, and reflect Gates's contributions to the United States in that role, his last as a public servant. USS Thomas S. Gates USS "Thomas S. Gates" (CG-51) was a flight-I that was used by the United States Navy. The warship was named after Thomas S. Gates, Secretary of Defense in the last years of the Eisenhower Administration (1959–1961). In a break from normal naming conventions for the "Ticonderoga" class cruisers, "Thomas