James C. Tyree (October 30, 1957 – March 16, 2011) was a Chicago financier who was chairman and chief executive officer of Mesirow Financial since 1994. In 2009, he led a team of investors that took control of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' newspaper, which he owned until his death.

Early life and education

Tyree grew up in the Beverly neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. He graduated from Marist High School in 1975. Tyree earned his bachelor's and MBA degrees from

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

in 1978 and 1980, respectively.Jim Tyree , Mesirow Financial , Chairman and CEO

Professional career

In 1980, Tyree joined Mesirow Financial fresh out of business school as a research analyst.Baron in the Making
/ref> In 1990, he became the firm's president, and in 1994, he became the firm's chairman and chief executive officer. From 1990 until his death, Tyree oversaw 50 acquisitions by Mesirow.

Bid for the Sun-Times

In September 2009, Tyree and a group of investors he was leading placed a $5 million bid, which was accepted to purchase the

newspaper and its bankrupt company,

Sun-Times Media Group Sun-Times Media Group (formerly Hollinger International) was a Chicago-based newspaper holding company. The company formerly owned the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' until its acquisition by ownership group ST Acquisition Holdings in 2017. History Sun- ...

Inc. As part of their offer, Tyree and his group also had agreed to assume $20 million in liabilities.

Personal

Tyree married his second wife, Eve, in 1996, after a first marriage had ended in divorce. Eve had been Mesirow's chief financial officer. They own a mansion on Chicago's Gold Coast and a lakefront summer house in Long Beach, Indiana. They also have children, a daughter and two sons: Jessica, Joseph and Matthew. Tyree had type 1 diabetes. On October 20, 2010, his diagnosis with

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a malignant tumor of the stomach. It is a cancer that develops in the Gastric mucosa, lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a numb ...

was revealed. On March 16, 2011, Tyree died of unexplained complications."James Tyree Dies", ''Chicago Tribune'' (March 17, 2011)
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyree, James C. 1957 births 2011 deaths Businesspeople from Chicago Illinois State University alumni Deaths from stomach cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in Illinois Chicago Sun-Times people American male journalists 20th-century American businesspeople