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)
Relatives Pritzker family
Family John Pritzker (brother)
Daniel Pritzker (brother)
Jean "Gigi" Pritzker (sister)
J. B. Pritzker (cousin)

Thomas Pritzker (born June 6, 1950) is an American billionaire heir and businessman. A member of the Pritzker family, he is the former chairman and 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 were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Annie P. (née Cohn) and Nicholas J. Pritzker. [2] [3] His maternal grandfather was Hugo Friend. [4]

He holds a J.D. and a M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, [5] and a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College.[ citation needed ]

Career

Pritzker was appointed President of Hyatt Corporation in 1980 and became its Chairman and CEO in 1999. He served as CEO until December 2006 and remains the executive chairman of the company. [6] He also served as a director of Royal Caribbean Cruises until 2020 and of TransUnion until 2010. [6] 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. [7]

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. [8]

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

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. [10]

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]

Personal life

He is married to Margot Marshall. [11] They have three sons. [12] [13]

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. 1 2 "Hyatt Hotels Corporation - Governance - Board of Directors - Person Details". investors.hyatt.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ "CSIS.org: Thomas J. Pritzker".
  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. ↑ Perlman, Marissa (January 4, 2024). "Thomas Pritzker, Hyatt billionaire and governor's cousin, named in Jeffrey Epstein documents". CBS News . Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  11. ↑ 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
  12. ↑ Financial Times: "Thomas Pritzker, Hyatt chairman: a billionaire with many faces" by Henny Sender September 21, 2014
  13. ↑ Harris, Melissa; Wernau, Julie (December 18, 2011). "Fortune's Fate". Chicago Tribune . pp.  1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
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