JB Pritzker

JB Pritzker was born in California on January 19, 1965; his full name is Jay Robert Pritzker. He is a member of the Pritzker family and one of the heirs to the Hyatt hotel family fortune; his father, Donald Pritzker, helped found and led the Hyatt hotel group.⁠[1][2][3]

In 1987, Pritzker graduated from Duke University with an A.B. in political science. He then went on to study law.⁠[4][5]

In 1993, Pritzker received a J.D. from Northwestern University’s law school. He has supported the university over many years, joining Northwestern’s Board of Trustees in 2004, and also became a life member of the law school’s board.⁠[3]

In 1996, Pritzker and his brother Anthony (Tony) Pritzker co-founded an investment firm that grew into Pritzker Group. The two divided their roles: Tony focused on operations, while JB concentrated more on companies with growth potential. The firm’s venture capital business once operated under the name New World Ventures.⁠[6]

Pritzker Group’s business spans middle-market acquisitions, technology venture capital and asset management. Beyond his business activities, JB also drove the creation of 1871, a nonprofit startup incubator that supports Chicago entrepreneurs.⁠[5][4]

In October 2015, Pritzker and his wife, MK, gave $100 million to Northwestern University’s law school, which was then named for the Pritzker family. The gift funds student financial aid, education at the intersection of law, business and technology, and public-interest programs such as wrongful-conviction work, human rights and family justice.⁠[3]

His philanthropy also covers early childhood education and history education. He and MK lead the Pritzker Family Foundation, which supports high-quality early childhood education, and he led the campaign to build the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center.⁠[5]

Pritzker co-managed Pritzker Group with his brother until March 2017. That same year he was elected a trustee of Duke University, and he later served on its undergraduate education committee.⁠[2][4]

In 2018, Pritzker was first elected governor of Illinois as a Democrat. The election moved him from investing and philanthropy into the state’s highest executive office.⁠[1]

Pritzker chose Juliana StrattonJuliana StrattonJuliana Stratton is an American Democratic politician who serves as the 48th lieutenant governor of Illinois and previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives. In November 2026 she was elected to the U.S. Senate from Illinois, succeeding the retiring Dick Durbin.Open the full entry as his running mate for the 2018 gubernatorial election; for the following eight years she served as lieutenant governor of Illinois under Pritzker.⁠[7]

On January 14, 2019, Pritzker was sworn in as the 43rd governor of Illinois, beginning his first term. That year he signed minimum wage legislation that set up phased increases, with a target general minimum wage of $15 an hour by 2025.⁠[1][8]

On June 25, 2019, Pritzker signed HB1438, under which Illinois began a regulated system of adult recreational cannabis use on January 1, 2020. The bill also set up a business licensing and tax framework and created a path to clear eligible past cannabis records, combining market regulation with criminal justice reform.⁠[9]

On November 3, 2020, the graduated income tax amendment to the state constitution that Pritzker championed was rejected in a referendum, and the groups backing it conceded the next day. He had put $58 million into the initiative, arguing that raising taxes on high earners would improve the state’s finances; opponents questioned whether taxes on the middle class would be expanded in the future. The defeat stopped his central tax plan from taking effect as intended.⁠[10]

In May 2022, Pritzker received the Duke University Department of Political Science’s Distinguished Alumni award and shared his experience with graduates. He encouraged students to take measured risks and treat failure as a chance to learn, and stressed learning from leaders whose values they share.⁠[11]

In 2022, Pritzker won re-election as governor, and he began his second term on January 9, 2023.⁠[1][12]

On June 12, 2023, Pritzker gave the commencement speech at Northwestern University, using lines from the TV series The Office to tie together business judgment, relationships and public service. Recalling his experience hearing founders’ funding pitches, he urged graduates to focus on the substance of a business, ask questions and not let polished presentations and slogans replace their own judgment.⁠[13]

In the speech he linked kindness and empathy to overcoming prejudice and rejected treating cruelty as a qualification for power. Drawing on his own handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said that in highly uncertain conditions one must make decisions, listen to others and revise one’s judgment when there is reason to. These remarks set out his views on leadership and his personal values.⁠[13]

On August 18, 2025, Pritzker signed the Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act (SB1797) and the Digital Asset Kiosk Act (SB2319). The first gives the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation authority to oversee digital asset exchanges and similar businesses, covering protection of customer assets, disclosure and risk management; the second sets rules for the registration, fees and fraud refunds of cryptocurrency kiosks.⁠[14][15]

The two laws are phased in: some consumer protection provisions took effect immediately, and the registration deadline for digital asset businesses is July 1, 2027. Pritzker described these state measures as action to protect investors and consumers and criticized the direction of federal regulation of the crypto industry.⁠[14]

In Illinois’s 2026 Democratic U.S. Senate primary, Stratton’s campaign was bolstered by $10 million from Pritzker’s electoral war chest. Stratton was elected to the U.S. Senate on November 3, 2026, and Pritzker called her his “friend and partner in governance.”⁠[7]

On April 21, 2026, Pritzker issued Executive Order 2026-04, which bars covered state employees, officials, appointees and agency board members from using nonpublic information obtained in the course of their duties to take part in prediction markets or event contracts, and from using such information to help others trade. The restriction applies whether or not a profit is made. He framed the measure as protecting public trust and preventing official information from being used for private gain.⁠[16]

On June 16, 2026, Pritzker signed SB3019, which includes the Digital Asset Tax Act. From January 1, 2027, the law imposes a 0.2% tax on the value of the assets involved in covered digital asset business activity received by Illinois customers, with qualifying brokers responsible for collecting it; the covered activity includes exchanges, transfers and storage.⁠[17]

Industry groups opposed the tax. The Digital Chamber and an Illinois blockchain association argued that taxing this asset class separately would weaken the state’s competitiveness in the industry. On July 21, 2026, the Digital Chamber filed a lawsuit asking the court to declare the law void and unenforceable, raising constitutional and federal-law objections.⁠[18][17]

On July 6, 2026, Pritzker signed the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Measures Act (SB315). The law applies to covered developers of large advanced AI systems, requiring them to disclose safety measures and report major safety incidents, and it introduces independent third-party safety audits and whistleblower protections. The effective date announced at signing was January 1, 2027.⁠[19]

In August 2026, Pritzker was seeking a third term as governor against Republican Darren Bailey. Records disclosed as of August 18 showed that he had just added $65 million to his campaign account, bringing his total self-funding since the launch of his 2018 gubernatorial campaign to more than $439 million. The account also transfers money to other candidates and committees, so the total is not the same as spending on his own campaigns alone.⁠[20]

On September 9, 2026, Pritzker called on Congress to hold AI safety hearings promptly, urged the federal government to strengthen coordination and called on technology companies to stop lobbying against safety rules. He argued that relying on state action alone is not enough to address the potential risks of advanced AI. On September 12 he restated his call for federal action on the governor’s official X account.⁠[21][22]

ForbesForbesForbes is an American business media brand that began with Forbes magazine, founded by B.C. Forbes in 1917. It is known for rankings such as the Forbes 400, the World’s Billionaires list and 30 Under 30, and operates Forbes.com, ForbesLive events and licensed editions in 81 countries. Since 2014 a majority stake has been held by the Hong Kong investment group Integrated Whale Media; a 2021 plan to list on the New York Stock Exchange through a special purpose acquisition company was terminated in 2022. It is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.Open the full entry’s real-time net worth estimate shown on September 13, 2026, put Pritzker’s wealth at about $4.2 billion, with sources of wealth including hotels and investments. This is an outside valuation for a specific date that changes as asset estimates are adjusted, and it should not be taken as the cash he holds or as public funds.⁠[2]

In the general election on November 3, 2026, Pritzker defeated Republican Darren Bailey to win a third term as governor; the Associated Press called the race for him when polls closed at 7 p.m. With 61% of the vote counted, he had about 60%, Bailey about 37% and independent Collin Corbett about 3%. His running mate, Christian Mitchell, was elected lieutenant governor. Pritzker is the first Democratic governor of Illinois to win a third term, and the first governor to do so since Republican Jim Thompson in 1982.⁠[23]

In his victory speech he said: “We climbed one mountain tonight. But we are sitting at the base of another.” Bailey did not concede in his remarks that night, saying: “I have no regrets.”⁠[23]

Office of the Governor of Illinois: Pritzker serves as the 43rd governor. Official website: https://gov.illinois.gov/ (opens in a new window).⁠[12]

Pritzker Group: The investment firm Pritzker co-founded with his brother, which he once co-managed. Official website: https://www.pritzkergroup.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[6][2][24]

Duke University: His undergraduate alma mater, where he has been a trustee since 2017. Official website: https://www.duke.edu/ (opens in a new window).⁠[4]

Northwestern University: The institution that awarded his J.D., and one he has long supported. Official website: https://www.northwestern.edu/ (opens in a new window).⁠[3]

X: Public account: @GovPritzker is the governor’s official account, used for government announcements and public statements. https://x.com/GovPritzker (opens in a new window).⁠[22][21]