Harry Nicholas Pritzker

Harry Nicholas Pritzker (August 1, 1892 – August 8, 1956) was an American businessman and member of the Pritzker family.

Early life and education Harry was the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants Annie P. (née Cohn) and Nicholas J. Pritzker. His father left Kyiv for Chicago in 1881 and worked first as a pharmacist and, after graduating from DePaul University College of Law, as a lawyer. His father wrote a small book that has been passed down from Pritzker to Pritzker; the theme of the book is "Your only immortality is the impact you have on your successors." In the 1930s, he supported his brothers who left the firm and invested in real estate and small companies mostly in the Chicago area.

His brother Abram's sons continued to grow the family business eventually buying the Hyatt House hotel in Los Angeles in 1957 forming the cornerstone of their hotel chain. His nephew Robert created a conglomerate of a multitude of manufacturing companies which grew into the multibillion-dollar Marmon Group. Marmon was diversified to include manufacturing concerns ranging from lumber to railroad box cars and travel industry staples. It composed half of the family's wealth. On December 25, 2007, it was announced that Warren Buffett, through Berkshire Hathaway, would purchase 60% of the Marmon Group from the Pritzkers for $4.5 billion.

Personal life

Pritzker was married to Elna Stone; they had two children: Richard S. Pritzker (born 1944) and Joanne Pritzker (1946–1955). His son Richard is a real estate investor in California

Harry Nicholas Pritzker died in Highland Park on August 8, 1956, and was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie.