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 founding and expansion of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, which was founded by Jay Pritzker and also involved his brother Donald 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]