The Pritzker family is an American family engaged in various business enterprises and philanthropy, and one of the wealthiest families in the United States (staying in the top 10 of ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine's "America's Richest Families" list since the magazine began such listings in 1982). Its fortune started in the 20th century, particularly through the expansion of the

Hyatt Hotels Corporation Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vac ...

Jay Pritzker Jay Arthur Pritzker (August 26, 1922 – January 23, 1999) was an American businessman and member of the Pritzker family. He was a founder of the Hyatt Corporation, having purchased the first Hyatt Hotel in 1957, and was responsible for ...

. Family members still largely own Hyatt and prior to its sale to

Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Inc. () is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally a textile manufacturer, the company transitioned into a conglomerate starting in 1965 under the management of c ...

, the

Marmon Group Marmon Group is an American industrial holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Jay Pritzker and Robert Pritzker in 1953 (as Colson Corporation), it has been held by the Berkshire Hathaway group since 2013. Marmon Group ...

, a conglomerate of manufacturing and industrial service companies. They have also had holdings in the

Superior Bank of Chicago The Superior Bank FSB was a Hinsdale, Illinois-based savings and loan association that collapsed in July 2001 with some $2.3b in assets.Joseph Weber and Lorraine Woellert ''Business Week'' September 10, 2001 It was co-owned by the Pritzker family of ...

(which collapsed in 2001), the

TransUnion TransUnion LLC is an American consumer credit reporting agency. TransUnion collects and aggregates information on over one billion individual consumers in over thirty countries including "200 million files profiling nearly every credit-active co ...

credit bureau A credit bureau is a data collection agency that gathers account information from various creditors and provides that information to a consumer reporting agency in the United States, a credit reference agency in the United Kingdom, a credit report ...

Braniff Braniff Airways, Inc., operated as Braniff International Airways from 1948 until 1965, and then Braniff International from 1965 until the cessation of air operations, was an American airline that operated from 1928 until 1982 and continues to ...

airlines, ''

McCall's ''McCall's'' was a monthly United States, American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. The publication ...

'' magazine, and the

Royal Caribbean International Royal Caribbean International (RCI), formerly Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line founded in 1968 in Norway and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997. Based in Miami, Florida, it is the l ...

cruise line A cruise line is a company (law), company that operates cruise ships that operate on Cruising (maritime), ocean or River cruise, rivers and which markets cruises to the public. Cruise lines are distinct from Passenger ship, passenger lines whic ...

. The Pritzker family is of Jewish descent and based in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Yakov "Jacob" Pritzker (1831–1896), was the manager of a sugar factory in

Kyiv Governorate Kiev Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire (1796–1917), Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–18; 1918–1921), Ukrainian State (1918), and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1919–1925 ...

in the territory of modern

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. At first he lived with his family in the village of Velyki Pritzky, then in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. He and his family immigrated to the United States from the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

towards the end of the 19th century, to escape the

pogroms A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century attacks on Jews i ...

there.

Family fortune

In 1995, Jay Pritzker stepped down and Thomas Pritzker took control of The Pritzker Organization. When Jay died in 1999, the family split the business into 11 pieces worth $1.4 billion each (choosing to settle a lawsuit from two family members, who apparently received $500 million each in 2005). By 2011, the dissolution had been completed and the cousins had gone their separate ways, with some pursuing business and others philanthropic or artistic ventures. According to ''

Inside Philanthropy ''Inside Philanthropy'' is a news website about large philanthropic foundations and wealthy donors, created by David Callahan in 2013. The site issues its own set of awards, such as the Philanthropist of the Year award and the Boldest Philant ...

'', many Pritzkers have numerous vehicles or foundations for giving philanthropically.

Genealogy

*Jacob Pritzker (1831–1896) and Sophia Schwarzman (1850–1910) ** Nicholas Pritzker (1871–1957), a Jewish immigrant from

, founder of Pritzker & Pritzker law firm in Chicago and a cousin of the existentialist philosopher

Lev Shestov Lev Isaakovich Shestov (; 31 January .S. 13 Februaryref name="ReferenceA">Martin, Bernard, Introduction to "Athens and Jerusalem" 1866 – 19 November 1938), born Yeguda Lev Shvartsman (), was a Russian existentialist and religious philosopher ...

(Schwartzman), married Annie P. Cohn ***

Harry Nicholas Pritzker Harry Nicholas Pritzker (August 1, 1892 – August 1956) was an American businessman and member of the Pritzker family. Early life and education Harry was the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants Annie P. (née Cohn) and Nicholas J. Pritzker. His ...

(1893–1957), a lawyer at Pritzker and Pritzker law firm, married Elna Stone ****Richard S. Pritzker (1944–2015), married Lori Hart **** Joanne Pritzker (1946–1955) ***

Abram Nicholas Pritzker Abram Nicholas Pritzker (January 6, 1896 – February 8, 1986) was an American businessman and attorney, and a member of the Pritzker family. Early life and education Abram was the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Annie P. (née Cohn) and N ...

(1896–1986), patriarch of the family business enterprise, married Fanny Doppelt ****

(1922–1999), co-founder of

Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational corporation, multinational hospitality company headquartered in the 150 North Riverside, Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchise ...

, philanthropist, founder of the

Pritzker Prize The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international award presented annually "to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment which has produced consisten ...

. Married Marian "Cindy" Friend *****Nancy Pritzker (1948–1972) *****

Thomas Pritzker Thomas Pritzker (born June 6, 1950) is an American billionaire heir and businessman. A member of the Pritzker family, he is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Pritzker Organization (TPO), which manages the various Pritzker fami ...

(born 1950), chief executive of

The Pritzker Organization Thomas Pritzker (born June 6, 1950) is an American billionaire heir and businessman. A member of the Pritzker family, he is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Pritzker Organization (TPO), which manages the various Pritzker fami ...

, married Margot Marshall *****

John Pritzker John A. Pritzker (born 1953) is an American billionaire and investor. He is a member of the Pritzker family, the grandson of A.N. Pritzker and son of Jay Pritzker. Early life and education Pritzker was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Mari ...

(born 1953), married Lisa Stone, 3 children ****** Adam Pritzker (born 1984), co-founder and chair of

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

trustee, married Sophie McNally ******

Noah Pritzker Noah Pritzker (born December 1986) is an American film director and screenwriter, and a member of the Pritzker family. Biography Pritzker grew up San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood. He is the son of billionaire John Pritzker and phil ...

(born 1986), film director *****

Daniel Pritzker Daniel Pritzker (born 1959) is an American billionaire heir, musician, film director, and member of the Pritzker family. Early life and education Pritzker was born to a Jewish family, the son of Marian (née Friend) and Jay Pritzker. He is the ...

(born 1959), founder, guitarist, and songwriter for the band

Sonia Dada Sonia Dada was an American rock, soul, and rhythm and blues band, formed in Chicago in 1990. Founding member Daniel Pritzker enlisted Michael Scott, Paris Delane, and Sam Hogan after hearing the latter three sing in a subway station.Biography ...

, and documentary filmmaker, married Karen Edensword ***** Jean (Gigi) Pritzker (born 1962), filmmaker, married Michael Pucker ****

Robert Pritzker Robert Alan Pritzker (June 30, 1926 – October 27, 2011) was an American businessman and member of the wealthy Pritzker family. Biography Pritzker was born to a American Jews, Jewish family, the Pritzker family,Marmon Group Marmon Group is an American industrial holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Jay Pritzker and Robert Pritzker in 1953 (as Colson Corporation), it has been held by the Berkshire Hathaway group since 2013. Marmon Group ...

and philanthropist, married to Audrey Gilbert (3 children), Irene Dryburgh (2 children), and Mayari Sargent ***** Jennifer N. Pritzker (born James, 1950), Colonel (Ret), Illinois Army National Guard, founder of the

Pritzker Military Museum & Library The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and research library for the study of military history located in a state-of-the art facility in Kenosha, WI. The institution was founded in 2003, ...

*****

Linda Pritzker Linda Pritzker), also known as Lama Tsomo, is an American lama in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. She is a spiritual teacher, author, philanthropist, and co-founder of the Namchak Foundation and Namchak Retreat Ranch in Missoula, Montana where s ...

(born 1953),

Tibetan Buddhist Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Arunachal Prades ...

lama Lama () is a title bestowed to a realized practitioner of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Not all monks are lamas, while nuns and female practitioners can be recognized and entitled as lamas. The Tibetan word ''la-ma'' means "high mother", ...

, author *****

Karen Pritzker Karen L. Pritzker (born 1958) is an American documentary film producer, investor, and philanthropist. She is a member of the Pritzker family, the granddaughter of A.N. Pritzker and daughter of Robert Pritzker.

(born 1958), married Michael Vlock ***** Matthew Pritzker (born 1982) *****

Liesel Pritzker Liesel Pritzker Simmons (born Liesel Anne Pritzker), stage name Liesel Matthews, is an American heiress and former child actress. She starred as Sara Crewe in '' A Little Princess'', a 1995 film adaptation of the Frances Hodgson Burnett classic, ...

(born 1984), actress, married Ian Simmons ****

Donald Pritzker Donald Nicholas Pritzker (October 31, 1932 – May 6, 1972) was an American businessman. He was a member of the Pritzker family and served as the president of Hyatt, where he helped grow the hotel chain. Early life and education Pritzker wa ...

(1932–1972), co-founder and president of

, married Sue Sandel, 3 children *****

Penny Pritzker Penny Sue Pritzker (born May 2, 1959) is an American billionaire heiress, businesswoman and lawyer who served as the 38th United States secretary of commerce in the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017. She was confirmed by a Senate vote of 97 ...

(born 1959), 38th

United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

, chair and CEO of PSP Capital Partners and Artemis Real Estate Partners, 2012 national co-chair of Obama for America, former Stanford University trustee, married Bryan Traubert ***** Anthony Pritzker (born 1961) married Jeanne Kriser *****

JB Pritzker Jay Robert Pritzker (born January 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving since 2019 as the 43rd governor of Illinois. A member of the wealthy Pritzker family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, Pritzker has started several vent ...

(born 1965), founder of Pritzker Group Venture Capital (formerly New World Ventures), co-founder of Pritzker Group,

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...

(2019–present), national co-chair of the

Hillary Clinton 2008 presidential campaign Hillary Rodham Clinton, then junior United States senator from New York, announced her campaign for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries on her website on January 20, 2007. Clinton was previously the first lady of the United State ...

, married Mary K. Muenster *** Jack Nicholas Pritzker (1904–1979), real estate developer and lawyer, married Rhoda Goldberg (1914–2007) ****

Nicholas J. Pritzker Nicholas J. Pritzker (born October 16, 1945) is an American real estate and venture entrepreneur in San Francisco, California. He served as the Chairman of the board and CEO of the Hyatt Development Corporation. He is a member of the wealthy Prit ...

(born 1944), chair of the board and CEO of the Hyatt Development Corporation, married Susan Stowell

Family members fortune

Members of the Pritzker family on the ''

'' '' The World's Billionaires List'' of "the richest people in the world" in 2024:

Legacy

A.N. Pritzker Elementary School A.N. Pritzker School is a public pre-K to grade 8 school in the Wicker Park, Chicago, Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The school serves grades K-8 with its neighborhood magnet school, magnet-cluster school focused on fine and perf ...

Jay Pritzker Pavilion Jay Pritzker Pavilion, also known as Pritzker Pavilion or Pritzker Music Pavilion, is a bandshell in Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located on the south side of Randolph S ...

at Chicago's

Millennium Park Millennium Park is a public park located in the Chicago Loop, Loop Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago, operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The park, opened in July 2004, is a prominent civic center near t ...

*Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building at the

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedic ...

Pritzker Architecture Prize The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international award presented annually "to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment which has produced consisten ...

*Pritzker Family Children's Zoo at the

Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo, also known as Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, is a zoo in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. The zoo was founded in 1868 and is the second oldest zoo in the United States. It is also one of a small number of zoos to offer fr ...

*Pritzker College Prep, a Campus of the Noble Network of Charter High Schools *Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering at the

Illinois Institute of Technology The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the m ...

Pritzker School of Law The Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (formerly known as Northwestern University School of Law from 1891 to 2015) is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. The law school is located on the univer ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

**Pritzker Legal Research Center at Northwestern *Pritzker Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles *

Pritzker School of Medicine The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is the M.D.-granting unit under the Biological Sciences Division of the University of Chicago. It is located on the university's main campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago and mat ...

at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

(UChicago) *

Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) is the first school of engineering at the University of Chicago. It was founded as the Institute for Molecular Engineering in 2011 by the university in partnership with Argo ...

at UChicago *Pritzker Marine Biological Research Center at

New College of Florida New College of Florida is a public university, public liberal arts college in Sarasota, Florida, United States. The college is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. New College has the smallest student enrollment in the State U ...

*Pritzker Galleries of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

*Pritzker Traubert Family Library at the

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (also known as Lab, Lab Schools, or U-High, abbreviated UCLS) is a private, co-educational, day pre-school and K-12 school affiliated with the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Almost half ...

*Pritzker Edition of ''

Zohar The ''Zohar'' (, ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material o ...

'' (the Book of Radiance), translation & commentary by Daniel Matt and, for last 3 volumes, Nathan Wolski and Joel Hecker; 12 vols, Stanford University Press, 1997–2017 *Pritzker Military Museum and Library-cited earlier in this article. *Robert A. Pritzker Center for Meteoritics and Polar Studies in the

Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...

*Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in the

Lurie Children's Hospital Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, formerly Children's Memorial Hospital and commonly known as Lurie Children's, is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children's hospital located in Chicago, Illinois. The hospital has ...

References

{{Authority control American billionaires Business families of the United States Jewish-American families American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent

Family fortune

Genealogy

Family members fortune

Legacy

See also

References