James C. Tyree (October 30, 1957 – March 16, 2011) was a Chicago financier who was chairman and chief executive officer of
Mesirow Financial
Mesirow is a financial services company based in Chicago, Illinois. The firm is employee-owned and 100% of voting shares are held by employees. It provides investment management, capital markets, wealth management and investment banking services.
...
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 newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' 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 university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
in 1978 and 1980, respectively.
[Jim Tyree , Mesirow Financial , Chairman and CEO]
Professional career
In 1980, Tyree joined
Mesirow Financial
Mesirow is a financial services company based in Chicago, Illinois. The firm is employee-owned and 100% of voting shares are held by employees. It provides investment management, capital markets, wealth management and investment banking services.
...
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 Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
newspaper and its bankrupt company, Sun-Times Media Group
Sun-Times Media Group (formerly Hollinger International) is a Chicago-based newspaper publisher.
History
Sun-Times Media Group was founded in 1986 under the name ''American Publishing Company'', as a holding company for Hollinger Inc.'s Ameri ...
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
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
and a lakefront summer house in Long Beach, Indiana
Long Beach is a town in Michigan Township, LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Long Beach was 1,179. It is included in the Michigan City, Indiana- La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Hi ...
. 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 cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...
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
Deaths from cancer in Illinois
Chicago Sun-Times people
American male journalists
20th-century American businesspeople