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 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 by Jay Pritzker.
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. [1] They have also had holdings in the Superior Bank of Chicago (which collapsed in 2001), the TransUnion credit bureau, Braniff airlines, McCall's magazine, and the Royal Caribbean International cruise line. [2]
The Pritzker family is of Jewish descent [3] and based in Chicago. [4] Yakov "Jacob" Pritzker (1831–1896), was the manager of a sugar factory in Kyiv Governorate in the territory of modern Ukraine. At first he lived with his family in the village of Velyki Pritzky, then in Kyiv. He and his family immigrated to the United States from the Russian Empire towards the end of the 19th century, to escape the pogroms there. [5] [6]
In 1995, Jay Pritzker stepped down and Thomas Pritzker took control of The Pritzker Organization. [4] When Jay died in 1999, the family split the business into 11 pieces worth $1.4 billion each [4] (choosing to settle a lawsuit from two family members, who apparently received $500 million each in 2005). [7] [8] [9] 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. [10] According to Inside Philanthropy , many Pritzkers have numerous vehicles or foundations for giving philanthropically. [11]
Members of the Pritzker family on the Forbes The World's Billionaires List of "the richest people in the world" in 2024: [16]
Rank | Name | Net worth |
---|---|---|
409 | Thomas Pritzker | $6.7 billion |
477 | Karen Pritzker | $6.1 billion |
597 | Jean (Gigi) Pritzker | $5.1 billion |
871 | Anthony Pritzker | $3.7 billion |
871 | Penny Pritzker | $3.7 billion |
920 | J. B. Pritzker | $3.5 billion |
1238 | John Pritzker | $2.7 billion |
1286 | Daniel Pritzker | $2.6 billion |
1496 | Jennifer Pritzker | $2.2 billion |
1623 | Linda Pritzker | $2 billion |
1851 | Matthew Pritzker | $1.7 billion |
1945 | Nicholas J. Pritzker | $1.6 billion |
2046 | Liesel Pritzker Simmons | $1.5 billion |
Total | $43.1 billion |