Jay Robert Pritzker Biography & Net Worth 

Jay Robert Pritzker is a prominent entrepreneur, investor, lawyer, philanthropist, and venture capitalist from the United States of America. Born on January 19, 1965, in California, US, he attended Duke University for a political science degree before earning a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. Together with his brother Anthony, Jay manages the successful American venture capital and private equity company The Pritzker Group, which is currently based in Chicago and Los Angeles. This businessman is known to be one of the heirs to the renowned Hyatt Hotels. In fact, he is considered the principal owner of Hyatt Hotels Corporation as well as TransUnion Corporation. In addition to being one of the founders of The Pritzker Group, Mr. Jay Robert Pritzker also serves as the managing partner of the company. He is also the founder of New World Ventures. To also add, as of this writing, Mr. Jay Robert Pritzker, a politician, is serving as the 43^rd governor of the state of Illinois. He currently lives in Chicago with his family. More details follow

Early Life

Jay Robert was born on January 19, 1965, in Atherton, California, in the United States. He is a member of the renowned Pritzker family, who were prominent in business and philanthropic activities in the United States during the late 20th century. His parents are Sue and Donald Pritzker. His elder siblings are Penny Pritzker and Anthony Pritzker. He is the grandson of a business lawyer named Abe Pritzker, and he is named after both of his father’s brothers, Jay and Robert.

The Pritzkers spared no expense regarding the education of their children. Jay was enrolled at the Massachusetts boarding school before attending Milton Academy. After his high school years, he joined Duke University where he bagged a Bachelor of Arts degree in the political science program. He was subsequently accepted for graduate studies at the Northwestern University School of Law, at which he earned his Juris Doctor degree.

Professional Life

Jay Robert Pritzker is an attorney and a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.

Pritzker served as chairman of ChicagoNEXT, and founded the non-profit digital start-up incubator called 1871. He played a significant role in the creation of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurila Center and Illinois Venture Capital Association. Asides from co-founding Chicago Ventures, he funded the start-up of Built in Chicago and Techstars Chicago.

Together with his brother Tony, Jay co-founded Pritzker Group Private Capital, which currently includes a growing family of companies including medical device maker Clinical Innovations and pallet rental leader PECO Pallet.

Philanthropic Endeavors

Pritzker is the president of the Pritzker Family Foundation. He has always been committed to funding research and programs dedicated to children in poverty. Along with the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Irving Harris Foundation, the Pritzker Family Foundation is a founding backer of the First Five Years Fund, an organization concentrating nationwide attention and resources on quality early care and comprehensive learning programs for children below the age of five.

Jay Pritzker is the chairman of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. He is the principal funder of the Cambodia Tribunal Monitor. He played the role of chairman of the Illinois Human Rights Commission until former White House counsel and Federal Judge Abner J. Mikva succeeded him.

In 2007, Jay and his wife gave $5 million to the University of South Dakota to establish the Theodore R. and Karen K. Muenster University Center in honor of the parents of his wife. He is a trustee and sits on the investment committee of Northwestern University. He is a member of the Board of Governors of Northwestern University School of Law, as well as a member of the Economic Club of Chicago. Likewise, he is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago. He joined the Board of Trustees of Duke University in 2017, and will serve there until the expiration of his term in 2023.

On October 22, 2015, Jay and his wife gifted $100 million to the Northwestern University School of Law in honor of Jay’s great-grandfather, Nicholas J. Pritzker. The school became known as the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

Achievements

In 2013, Mr. Jay Robert Pritzker received the Survivors’ Legacy Award in recognition of his leadership and contributions in the establishment of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. In 2008, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce honored him with the Entrepreneurial Champion Award for his efforts to promote economic development. He is also a recipient of a Spirit of Erikson Institute Award for his efforts in the creation of the Children’s Initiative.

Personal Life

In 1993, Jay married Mary Kathryn whom he had met in Washington, D.C., when she was serving as an aide to United States Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota. She is the daughter of Theodore and Karen Muenster. The couple live in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago, in Illinois, with their two children.

Jay Robert Pritzker Net Worth

Pritzker is the sitting governor of Illinois. He is one of the wealthiest governors in the history of the United States, second only to Michael Bloomberg. His personal net worth is estimated at $3.4 billion.

Although he comes from a very wealthy family that owns several businesses including the Hyatt hotel chain, Pritzker has done remarkably well for himself as he has gone out on his own to establish himself as a very successful businessman. He is the founder of several venture capital companies including the Pritzker Group Private Capital Company which he started with his brother, Tony.

The Pritzkers are consistently named near the top of the Forbes magazine “America’s Richest Families” list since its 1982 inception. The family is one of the most successful and most popular in the United States.