1955-

American Computer Scientist and Businessman

An internationally renowned computer programming pioneer and businessman, Bill Gates has won fame and fortune as a brilliant software developer and entrepreneur. Gates cofounded Microsoft Corporation with Paul Allen (1953- ) in 1974, and subsequently developed the widely popular MS-DOS operating system and Windows graphical interface. As chairman and CEO of Microsoft, Gates is one of the most influential and wealthy leaders of the computer industry. In recent years he has also won recognition as a noted philanthropist.

William Henry Gates, III, was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington. He was raised with his two sisters in an affluent family. His father, William H. Gates, II, was a prominent attorney, and his mother, Mary, a schoolteacher. His parents nicknamed the younger William "Trey," referring to the III after his full name.

Gates struggled in public elementary school, so...