Thomas Pritzker

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Thomas Pritzker
Born (1950-06-06) June 6, 1950 (age 75)
Alma mater Claremont McKenna College (BA)
University of Chicago (JD, MBA)
OccupationHotelier
SpouseMargot Marshall
Children3
Parent Jay Pritzker (father)
Family Pritzker

Thomas Pritzker (born June 6, 1950) is an American billionaire heir and businessman. A member of the Pritzker family, he is the executive chairman and former chief executive officer (CEO) of the Pritzker Organization (TPO), which manages the various Pritzker family business assets. Pritzker is also the former executive chairman of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation. [1]

Contents

Early life

Thomas Pritzker was born on June 6, 1950 to the Pritzker family, son of Jay Pritzker (1922–99) and his wife, Marian Friend. Thomas' great grandparents in the male line were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Annie P. (née Cohn) and Nicholas J. Pritzker. [2] [3] His maternal grandfather was the Czech Jewish immigrant, athlete and judge Hugo Friend. [4]

He received a J.D. and a M.B.A. in 1976 from the University of Chicago, [5] and a B.A. in 1971 from Claremont Men's College. [6]

Career

Pritzker's father built the chain of Hyatt Hotels. Over the years, Thomas Pritzker held several positions with Hyatt Corporation (the private operating company) and Hyatt Hotels Corporation (the publicly traded holding company that was created when Hyatt Corporation and Hyatt International merged): [7]

Pritzker resigned from his position as Executive Chairman on February 16, 2026, the result of his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. [9]

He also served as a director of Royal Caribbean Cruises until 2020 and of TransUnion until 2010. [7] He is the founder and chairman of North America Western Asia Holdings LLC (NAWAH), an investment and advisory firm seeking to invest in Iraqi companies while advising clients looking to do business in the region. [10]

He is the past chair of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Aspen Strategy Group. He organized the Pritzker Neuropsychiatric Disorders Research Consortium. [11]

Involvement with Jeffrey Epstein

Pritzker was in regular contact with Jeffrey Epstein in the years following Mr. Epstein’s 2008 plea deal on sex crimes charges. [9]

He was named in a deposition filed under oath by Virginia Giuffre related to her being sexually trafficked through the Epstein network. She testified in the deposition that she once was sexually abused by Pritzker. A spokesperson for Pritzker told Reuters that Pritzker "continues to vehemently deny" the allegation. [12]

Later, the released Epstein files showed frequent email exchanges, including one from 2018 in which he helped Epstein's partner Karyna Shuliak plan a trip to Southeast Asia, with the expressed goal of finding females for Epstein. [9] [13]

In June 2011, leaked correspondence between Pritzker and Jeffrey Epstein revealed that Pritzker traveled to a "remote valley" in Afghanistan for his birthday. Pritzker stated that General David Petraeus provided him with two military helicopters for the trip. Pritzker described the excursion as being with "Boys with Toys." [14]

Personal life

He is married to Margot Marshall. [15] They have three sons. [16] [17]

He holds an honorary doctorate from Tsinghua University in Haidian, Beijing, China. [18]

References

  1. ↑ "Forbes profile: Thomas Pritzker". Forbes. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  2. ↑ Ramirez, Anthony (January 25, 1999). "Jay Pritzker, Who Built Chain Of Hyatt Hotels, Is Dead at 76". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  3. ↑ The Monthly Supplement. International Who's Who, Inc. 1951-01-01.
  4. ↑ "2019-254 Cindy Pritzker Day" (PDF). 2020 Illinois Register. 44 (5): 2442–2443. January 31, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Thomas Pritzker - Board of Trustees - The University of Chicago". trustees.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on 2018-02-25. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  6. ↑ "Three new Trustees join University board". University of Chicago Chronicle. August 17, 1995. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Hyatt Hotels Corporation - Governance - Board of Directors - Person Details". investors.hyatt.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  8. ↑ Worthy, Ford S. (April 23, 1988). "The Pritzkers: Unveiling a Private Family". Fortune . Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 O'Brien, Rebecca Davis (February 16, 2026). "Tom Pritzker, Citing Epstein Connection, Steps Down as Hyatt's Executive Chairman". The New York Times . Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  10. ↑ Kelly, Jason (October 28, 2011). "Ex-Pentagon Matchmaker, Pritzker Open Firm for Deals in Iraq". Bloomberg Businessweek . Archived from the original on 2012-01-03. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "Corporate Officer: Thomas J. Pritzker". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Center for Strategic and International Studies . Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  12. ↑ Perlman, Marissa (January 4, 2024). "Thomas Pritzker, Hyatt billionaire and governor's cousin, named in Jeffrey Epstein documents". CBS News . Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  13. ↑ "Hyatt Hotels chairman steps down over Jeffrey Epstein ties". www.bbc.com. 17 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  14. ↑ https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA01864832?email=EFTA01864832-0
  15. ↑ Chicago Tribune: "Inside the Pritzker family feud Since the 1999 death of the revered Jay Pritzker, tensions have quietly roiled Chicago's wealthiest family. Here is a look behind the scenes" By Susan Chandler and Kathy Bergen June 12, 2005
  16. ↑ Financial Times: "Thomas Pritzker, Hyatt chairman: a billionaire with many faces" by Henny Sender September 21, 2014
  17. ↑ Harris, Melissa; Wernau, Julie (December 18, 2011). "Fortune's Fate". Chicago Tribune . pp.  1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Corporate Officer: Thomas J. Pritzker". csis.org. Center for Strategic & International Studies. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
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