'Abram Nicholas Pritzker' (
January 6 1896 –
February 8 1986) was an
American businessman who founded the
Hyatt hotel chain.
The son of
Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, he graduated from
Harvard Law School and worked for a time in the family's firm,
Pritzker & Pritzker, before beginning with his brother
Jack a business career that would launch a family empire. They invested in real estate and small companies, mostly around
Chicago and amassing a considerable fortune. They shielded their earnings from taxes through a series of trusts, which enabled them to distribute the money as they chose. Abram's philanthropic endeavors include funding the
Pritzker School of Medicine at the
University of Chicago.
Abram's sons,
Jay,
Robert, and
Donald, continued to grow the family business, eventually buying the
Hyatt House hotel in
Los Angeles in
1957 and forming the cornerstone of their hotel chain. The business became known as the
Marmon Group, and was diversified to include manufacturing concerns ranging from lumber to railroad box cars, and travel industry staples
Braniff Airlines (owned 1983–88) and
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
His nephew
Nicholas J. Pritzker is Chairman of the Board and CEO of the
Hyatt Development Corporation, with a current net worth of approximately 1.6 billion USD.
As of
2006 the
Pritzker family is one of the wealthiest families in the United States.
The Pritzker family also funds a charter school in chicago which is part of th noble network of charter schools