The Pritzker family is an American family engaged in entrepreneurship and

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, and one of the wealthiest families in the United States of America (staying in the top 10 of '' Forbes'' magazine's "America's Richest Families" list since the magazine began such listings in 1982). Its fortune arose in the 20th century—particularly through the founding and expansion of the

Hyatt 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 vacat ...

hotel corporation. Family members still largely own Hyatt, and prior to its sale to Berkshire Hathaway, the Marmon Group, a conglomerate of manufacturing and industrial service companies. Their holdings also have included the Superior Bank of Chicago (which collapsed in 2001), the TransUnion

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 repor ...

, Braniff airlines, '' McCall's'' magazine, and the Royal Caribbean cruise line. The Pritzker family is of Jewish descent, and based in Chicago, Illinois.

Family fortune

In 1995, Jay Pritzker, the cofounder of Hyatt, stepped down and Thomas Pritzker took control of The Pritzker Organization. When the former died in 1999, the family split the business into 11 pieces worth $1.4 billion each (and chose to

settle Settle or SETTLE may refer to: Places * Settle, Kentucky, United States * Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England ** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district Music * Settle (band), an indie rock band from Pennsylvania * ''S ...

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'', there are many Pritzkers, with many different vehicles or foundations for their philanthropic giving.

Genealogy

* Jacob Pritzker (1831–1896) and Sophia Schwarzman (1850–1910) ** Nicholas Pritzker (1871–1957), Jewish immigrant from Kyiv, founder of Pritzker & Pritzker law firm in Chicago and a cousin of the existentialist philosopher Lev Shestov (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 f ...

(1893–1957), 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 member of the Pritzker family. Early life and education Abram was the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Annie P. (née Cohn) and Nicholas J. Pritzk ...

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

Jay Pritzker Jay Arthur Pritzker (August 26, 1922 – January 23, 1999) was an American entrepreneur, conglomerate organizer, and member of the Pritzker family. Early life and education Pritzker was born in Chicago, Illinois to Jewish parents who emi ...

(1922–1999), co-founder of

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, founder of the

Pritzker Prize The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international architecture 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 produ ...

. Married Marian "Cindy" Friend ***** Nancy Pritzker (1948–1972) ***** Thomas Pritzker (born 1950), chief executive of

The Pritzker Organization ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, married Margot Marshall *****

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

(born 1953) ****** Adam Pritzker (born 1984), co-founder and chairman 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 trustee *****

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

(born 1959), founder, guitarist and songwriter for the band Sonia Dada, and documentary filmmaker, married Karen Edensword ***** Jean (Gigi) Pritzker (born 1962), filmmaker, married Michael Pucker **** Robert Pritzker (1926–2011), founder of Marmon Group and philanthropist, married to Audrey Gilbert, Irene Dryburgh, and Mayari Sargent *****

Jennifer N. Pritzker Jennifer Natalya Pritzker (born James Nicholas Pritzker; August 13, 1950) is an American investor, philanthropist, and member of the Pritzker family. Pritzker retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Illinois Army National Guard (ILARNG) in 200 ...

(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 a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its spe ...

*****

Linda Pritzker Linda Pritzker (born September 1953) also known by the name 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 ...

(born 1953), Tibetan Buddhist

lama Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hi ...

, author *****

Karen Pritzker Karen L. Pritzker (born 1958) is a 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.Matthew Pritzker Matthew Pritzker (born May 28, 1982) is an American investor and businessperson based in Chicago, Illinois. In 2008 he founded the Matthew Pritzker Company. The company’s focus is on building businesses across a variety of industries—includin ...

(born 1982) ***** Liesel Pritzker (born 1984), actress, married Ian Simmons ****

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

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

, married Sue Sandel ***** Penny Pritzker (born 1959), 38th United States Secretary of Commerce, chairman 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 ***** J. B. Pritzker (born 1965), founder of Pritzker Group Venture Capital (formerly New World Ventures), co-founder of Pritzker Group, Governor of Illinois (2019–present), national co-chairman of the

Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2008 The 2008 presidential campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton, then junior United States senator from New York, was announced on her website on January 20, 2007. Hillary Clinton was previously the First Lady of the United States and First Lady o ...

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

Nicholas J. Pritzker Nicholas J. Pritzker 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 Pritzker family, who owned c ...

(born 1944), Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Hyatt Development Corporation, married Susan Stowell

Family members fortune

Members of the Pritzker family on the '' Forbes 400'' list of "The 400 Richest Americans 2015":

Legacy

* A.N. Pritzker Elementary School *

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 Str ...

at Chicago's

Millennium Park Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago, operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The park, opened in 2004 and intended to celebrate the third millennium, is a prominent civic center near ...

Pritzker Architecture Prize The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international architecture 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 produ ...

* Pritzker Family Children's Zoo at the Lincoln Park Zoo * 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 *

Pritzker School of Law Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, or "T14" law schoo ...

at Northwestern University **Pritzker Legal Research Center at Northwestern * Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago (UChicago) *

Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering The 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 Argonne National Laborator ...

at UChicago * Pritzker Marine Biological Research Center at

New College of Florida New College of Florida is a public liberal arts college in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded in 1960 as a private institution known simply as New College, spent several years merged into the University of South Florida, and in 2001 became an aut ...

* Pritzker Galleries of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

* Pritzker Traubert Family Library at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools *

* Pritzker Edition of ''

Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...

'' (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 educational ...

References

{{Reflist 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