Jay Pritzker

Jay Pritzker Biography

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 to a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Fanny (née Doppelt) and A. N. Pritzker. He had two brothers: Donald Pritzker and Robert Pritzker. He was the father of Dan Pritzker. Pritzker graduated with a J.D. from the Northwestern University School of Law in 1947.

Career

Pritzker diversified the Chicago-based family business - which then consisted of the Prizker & Prizker law firm run by his uncle Harry Nicholas Pritzker and the investments made by his father and his uncle Jack Nicholas Pritzker - into lumber forming the Marmon Group. With his brother Robert Pritzker, he built a portfolio of 60 diversified industrial corporations. He created the Hyatt Hotel chain in 1957 with his brother Donald Pritzker and owned Braniff Airlines from 1983"1988.

In 1979 he established the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

In 1996, he and his wife Cindy received the National Building Museum's Honor Award.

In 2004, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, designed by architect Frank Gehry, was completed as part of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago.

Personal life

Pritzker was married to Marian "Cindy" Friend, the daughter of Illinois appellate judge Hugo Friend, for 51 years. They had five children:

Nancy Pritzker (born 1948), committed suicide in 1971 at age 24. The University of Chicago medical school is named for her.
Thomas Pritzker (born 1951), served as chairman of Hyatt Foundation, chairman of Marmon Holdings, and as a director of Royal Caribbean, and the Pritzker Foundation.
John Pritzker (born 1953), runs his own private equity firm Geolo Capital which focuses on investments in hospitality, entertainment and health and wellness companies. In 2010, he purchased a majority interest in the Joie de Vivre hotel chain and later merging it with the Pomeranc family's Thompson Hotel Group.
Daniel Pritzker (born 1959), musician and filmmaker who served as a trustee of the Jay Pritzker Foundation along with his wife, Karen. He also founded the Jay Pritzker Academy in Ta Chet, Cambodia; and is a prominent supporter of Providence St. Mel High School in Chicago and Tufts University.
Jean "Gigi" Pritzker (born 1962), film and play producer and is CEO of Odd Lot Entertainment.

Jay Pritzker

Jay Pritzker Biography

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also