Gavin Newsom - Early Life

Early Life

Newsom is a fourth-generation San Franciscan. His father is of Irish descent, while one of his maternal great-grandfathers, Scotsman Thomas Addis, was a pioneer scientist in the field of nephrology and a professor of medicine at Stanford University. His father, William Alfred Newsom III, is a retired state appeals court Justice. Newsom's parents separated when he was two and divorced in 1972. At age 10, Newsom moved with his mother, Tessa, and sister to nearby Marin County. In May 2002, Tessa Thomas (Menzies) Newsom died after a five-year fight with breast cancer.

While Newsom later reflected that he did not have an easy childhood, he attended kindergarten and first grade at the French-American bilingual school in San Francisco. He eventually transferred because of severe dyslexia that still affects him. His dyslexia has made it difficult for him to write, spell, read and work with numbers. He attended third through fifth grades at Notre Dame des Victoires, where he was placed in remedial reading classes. Newsom graduated from Redwood High School in 1985. He played basketball and baseball in high school. Newsom was an outfielder in baseball. His basketball skills placed him on the cover of the Marin Independent Journal. Newsom's childhood friend Derek Smith recalled Newsom as "one of the hardest working players on the team who became a great player because of his effort, instead of his natural abilities." Newsom's father attended his games with San Francisco politicians that included John Burton and Quentin Kopp. Newsom's father had ties to several other local politicians. Newsom's aunt was married to Ron Pelosi, the brother-in-law of former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Newsom's father was also a friend of Governor Jerry Brown.

Tessa Newsom worked three jobs to support Gavin and his sister Hilary Newsom Callan. In an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, his sister recalled Christmas holidays when their mother told them there wouldn't be any gifts. Despite limited finances, Tessa opened their home to foster children, instilling in Newsom the importance of public service. His father's finances were strapped in part because of his father's tendency to give away his earnings. Newsom worked several jobs in high school to help support his family.

Newsom attended Santa Clara University on a partial baseball scholarship and student loans, where he graduated in 1989 with a B.A. in political science. Newsom was a left-handed pitcher for Santa Clara but he threw his arm out after two years and hasn't thrown a baseball since. He lived in the Alameda apartments which Newsom later compared to living in a hotel. He later reflected on his education fondly, crediting the Socratic approach of Santa Clara that he said has helped him become an independent thinker who questions orthodoxy. Newsom spent a semester studying abroad in Rome.