Jack Nicholas Pritzker

Jack Nicholas Pritzker (January 6, 1904 – October 30, 1979) was an American businessman and member of the Pritzker family.

Early life and education Pritzker 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 as a pharmacist. After graduating from DePaul University College of Law, he worked as a lawyer. Jack Pritzker graduated from the University of Michigan in 1925 and Northwestern University School of Law in 1927. 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 left the law practice and branched out with his brother Abram investing 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 Rhoda Goldberg; they had one child: Nicholas J. Pritzker who is chairman of the board and CEO of the Hyatt Development Corporation.

Jack Nicholas Pritzker died at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago on October 30, 1979, and was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie.