Pritzker family

The Pritzker family is an American family engaged in entrepreneurship and philanthropy, and one of the wealthiest families in the United States (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 Hotels 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, Braniff airlines, McCall's magazine, and the Royal Caribbean cruise line.

The Pritzker family is of Jewish descent and based in Chicago, Illinois. The founder of the American Pritzker family, Yakov (Jacob) Pritzker (1831-1896), was the manager of a sugar factory in Kyiv Governorate, on the territory of modern Ukraine. At first he lived with his family in the village of Velyki Pritzky, then in Kyiv. At the end of the 19th century, escaping from Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire, he emigrated to the USA with his family.

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 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

Family members fortune

Members of the Pritzker family on the Forbes World's Billionaires list of "the richest people in the world" in 2023:

Rank Name Net worth
455 Karen Pritzker $5.6 billion
497 Thomas Pritzker $5.3 billion
659 Jean (Gigi) Pritzker $4.2 billion
766 Anthony Pritzker $3.7 billion
787 J. B. Pritzker $3.6 billion
949 Penny Pritzker $3.1 billion
1164 Nicholas J. Pritzker $2.6 billion
1217 John Pritzker $2.5 billion
1272 Daniel Pritzker $2.4 billion
1516 Linda Pritzker $2 billion
1575 Jennifer Pritzker $1.9 billion
Total $36.9 billion

Legacy

See also