Abram Nicholas Pritzker | |
---|---|
Born | January 6, 1896 |
Died | February 8, 1986 | (aged 90)
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Attorney Real estate investor |
Spouse(s) | Fanny Doppelt |
Children |
Jay Pritzker Robert Pritzker Donald Pritzker |
Parent(s) | Nicholas J. Pritzker Annie P. Cohn |
Family |
Jack Nicholas Pritzker (brother) Harry Nicholas Pritzker (brother) |
Abram Nicholas Pritzker (January 6, 1896 – February 8, 1986), known professionally as A.N. Pritzker, was an American businessman and member of the Pritzker family.
Abram was the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants Annie P. (née Cohn) and Nicholas J. Pritzker. His father left Kiev for Chicago in 1881 and worked first as a pharmacist and then as a lawyer. His father wrote a small book that has been passed down the generations; the theme of the book is "Your only immortality is the impact you have on your successors." Abram graduated from Harvard Law School.
Abram joined his father's law firm, Pritzker & Pritzker, along with his brothers, Harry and Jack. Harry specialized in criminal law, Abram (called Abe and later A.N.) specialized in business law, and Jack in real estate law. In the 1930s, he left the law practice and branched out with his brother Jack, investing in real estate and small companies, mostly in the Chicago area. Harry continued to run the law firm, which eventually became an in-house firm catering solely to the needs of the Pritzker family and its business. The Pritzker brothers were very successful and amassed a considerable fortune. They shielded their earnings from taxes through a series of trusts, which enabled them to distribute the money as they chose.
Pritzker's philanthropic endeavors include funding the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. He also set up a trust fund for the A.N. Pritzker Elementary School, which he had attended when it was called the Wicker Park Elementary School. The Pritzker family also funds a charter school, Pritzker College Prep, in the Hermosa neighborhood of Chicago.
Pritzker has three sons: Jay Pritzker, Robert Pritzker, and Donald Pritzker. His sons 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.