In His Memoir, Gavin Newsom Sets Out to Reconcile “the Split Personality” of His Life Spent Growing Up Alongside the Gettys
Gavin Newsom was seven years old when he became cognizant of his other family. Just before Christmas, when his father, William “Bill” A. Newsom III, was taking him and his sister to their favorite toy store in San Francisco, Bill told them they had to pick someone up first. “Now, whatever you guys do or say, all I’m asking is that you don’t mention Paul’s missing ear,” Bill instructed the kids before a lanky, red-haired 17-year-old climbed into the car. The world’s most famous kidnapping victim, Paul Getty III, was Bill’s godson. It took Gavin some time to figure out the complicated Getty family tree. It descends from oil baron J. Paul Getty; with his five wives, he had five sons, including Paul Jr. (Paul III’s father) and Gordon—two brothers whom Bill counted as his closest friends since childhood. In turn, Gavin became like a son to Gordon and his wife, Ann—in addition to their boys, Peter, Andrew, John, and Billy. All five were tall and good-looking, so they were almost indistinguishable around town and …
