
J. B. Pritzker
Born 1965 · Age 60
American businessman and Democratic politician; member of the Pritzker family; co-founder of multiple venture and incubator ventures; serving as the 43rd governor of Illinois since 2019.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Palo Alto / Atherton, California
Jay Robert 'JB' Pritzker born to Donald and Sue (Sandel) Pritzker. Youngest of three children of the Pritzker family.
Death of father Donald Pritzker
Donald Pritzker, president of Hyatt Hotels and JB's father, died of a heart attack at age 39; JB later moved in with relatives Jay and Cindy Pritzker.
Early political staff roles (1980s)
Served on legislative staffs of Rep. Tom Lantos, Sen. Terry Sanford, and Sen. Alan Dixon while involved in college/political work in the 1980s (exact years varied).
Death of mother Sue Pritzker
JB's mother Sue Pritzker died in an alcohol-related automobile accident at age 49; a formative family tragedy in his youth.
Graduated Milton Academy (approx.)
Attended Milton Academy boarding school in Massachusetts (exact graduation year not stated; estimated based on college timeline).
Bachelor of Arts, Duke University
Graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in political science (attended Georgetown earlier then transferred to Duke).
Married Mary Kathryn (M.K.) Muenster
Married MK Muenster; couple later settled in Evanston, Illinois, and have two children.
Juris Doctor, Northwestern University School of Law
Earned a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law; admitted to practice law in Illinois (member of state & Chicago Bar associations).
Established campaign committee and founded DL21C (approx.)
Set up a campaign committee (used in future congressional run) and founded Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century to attract under-40 voters (exact founding year early 1990s).
Founded New World Ventures (later Pritzker Group VC)
With brother Tony, founded New World Ventures (a private equity/venture investment group later renamed Pritzker Group Venture Capital in 2013).
Campaign fundraising: raised >$120,000 by end of 1996
By the end of the 1996 election cycle, his campaign committee (for potential congressional runs) had raised more than $120,000 and spent most on operating expenses.
Reconstituted congressional campaign committee
Reconstituted his campaign committee in April 1997 in preparation for the 1998 Democratic primary for Illinois's 9th congressional district.
Ran in Democratic primary for Illinois's 9th congressional district
Competed in a high-profile Democratic primary; finished third among five candidates with 20.5% of the vote, losing to Jan Schakowsky.
Self‑funded congressional campaign spending (~$1.0M)
Spent nearly $1 million of his own money on the 1998 primary (including roughly $500,000 on TV ads in Chicago market); some sources cite up to $1.5M.
Appointed Chair, Illinois Human Rights Commission
Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed Pritzker to chair the Illinois Human Rights Commission (served from April 1, 2003 to July 26, 2006).
Stepped down as Chair, Illinois Human Rights Commission
Left the chairmanship on July 26, 2006; succeeded by Abner Mikva.
Chicagoland Chamber Entrepreneurial Champion Award
Received the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce's Entrepreneurial Champion Award for promoting economic development and job creation.
National co-chair, Hillary Clinton presidential campaign
Served as national co-chair for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential bid and was a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Recorded FBI wiretap conversation with Rod Blagojevich (2008)
Participated in a 2008 conversation with then-Governor Blagojevich about possible appointment opportunities; tapes later released in 2017. No charges brought against Pritzker.
Chair of ChicagoNEXT and founded 1871
Recruited by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to chair ChicagoNEXT; founded 1871, a nonprofit digital startup incubator in Chicago, to foster entrepreneurship and tech.
Pritzker Group rebrand (New World Ventures → Pritzker Group VC)
The investment group JB co-founded earlier evolved and was rebranded over time; sources note the group was renamed Pritzker Group Venture Capital in 2013.
Delegate to 2016 Democratic National Convention
Served as a delegate to the 2016 DNC; was an active Democratic Party donor and backer in multiple cycles.
Announced candidacy for Governor of Illinois
Formally announced run for the Democratic nomination for governor on April 6, 2017.
Selected running mate Juliana Stratton
Announced State Representative Juliana Stratton as his lieutenant governor running mate on August 10, 2017.
Campaign self‑funding: $42M spent by Dec 2017
By December 2017, Pritzker had spent approximately $42 million of his own money on his gubernatorial campaign.
Total campaign self‑funding for 2018 cycle: $171.5M
Pritzker spent approximately $171.5 million of his own money on the 2018 gubernatorial campaign.
Won Democratic primary for Governor
Won a crowded Democratic primary on March 20, 2018 with 45.13% of the vote, defeating five opponents.
Elected Governor of Illinois, defeating Bruce Rauner
Defeated incumbent Republican Bruce Rauner in the general election, receiving 54.53% to Rauner's 38.83% on November 6, 2018.
Estimated net worth reported at ~$3.6B
Media reported Pritzker's estimated net worth at about $3.6 billion in January 2019, making him among the wealthiest elected officials in the U.S.
Inaugurated as 43rd Governor of Illinois
Sworn in on January 14, 2019 as governor; began administration priorities on fiscal policy, education, healthcare and criminal justice reform.
Signed minimum wage increase to $15 by 2025
Signed legislation on Feb 19, 2019 raising Illinois' minimum wage to $15/hour phased in by 2025; includes tax credits for small businesses.
Signed $40B balanced budget for FY2019–20
On June 5, 2019 signed a bipartisan $40 billion balanced budget, funding increases across education and human services; expected $150M surplus was planned to pay down $6B unpaid bill backlog.
Signed Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act
On June 25, 2019 signed legalization and regulation of adult-use recreational cannabis; law effective Jan 1, 2020; expungements and community reinvestment provisions included.
Pardoned ~11,000 people for low-level cannabis convictions
On Dec 31, 2019 issued pardons to roughly 11,000 people previously convicted of low-level cannabis offenses after legalization.
Cannabis legal sales begin; first-month tax revenue ~$10.4M
After Jan 1, 2020 legalization, first month of legal cannabis sales generated ~ $10.4 million in tax revenue for Illinois.
Launched 'Restore Illinois' reopening plan
On May 5, 2020 announced the five-phase 'Restore Illinois' plan splitting the state into regions for staggered reopening.
Closed public and private schools due to COVID-19
Declared on March 13, 2020 that schools would be closed from March 17 through March 31 in response to COVID-19.
Ordered closure of bars & restaurants (limited to takeout/delivery)
On March 15, 2020 ordered closure of bars and restaurants (except for delivery/takeout) to curb COVID-19 spread.
Issued statewide stay‑at‑home order
On March 20, 2020 issued a stay-at-home order (effective March 21) closing non-essential businesses; initial end date early April, later extended.
Extended tax filing deadline & authorized ~$90M small business aid
On March 25, 2020 extended Illinois tax filing deadline from April 15 to July 15 and announced emergency assistance programs providing small businesses access to over $90 million in aid.
Extended stay‑at‑home through May 29
On April 23, 2020 extended the stay-at-home order through May 29 with modifications; restrictions included church gathering limits.
Enacted statewide mask mandate
On May 1, 2020 enacted a statewide public mask mandate to mitigate COVID-19 transmission.
Announced Illinois would receive 109,000 initial Pfizer vaccine doses
On Dec 4, 2020 announced Illinois would receive 109,000 initial doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine after FDA approval.
Announced expungement of ~500,000 cannabis arrest records
On Dec 31, 2020 announced expungement of approximately 500,000 non‑felony cannabis-related arrest records as part of justice reforms.
Announced mass-vaccination site at United Center
On Feb 26, 2021 announced that eligible Illinoisans could get vaccinated starting March 10 at a new mass vaccination site at the United Center.
Mask requirement for entry to state buildings
On July 29, 2021 announced everyone who enters a state building must wear a face mask regardless of vaccination status.
Reimposed statewide indoor mask mandate and vaccine requirements
On Aug 26, 2021 announced indoor mask mandate (effective Aug 30) and vaccine mandates for education employees and many healthcare workers; weekly testing for noncompliant individuals.
Imposed vaccine mandate for many students, educators and health workers
On Sept 19, 2021 began imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for college students, educators, and most health care workers in Illinois.
Cannabis cumulative sales revenue milestones (through 2022)
Cannabis sales generated over $52 million by July 2020 and totaled $445.3 million by the end of 2022 (tax revenue figures).
Won Democratic primary for reelection
Won the June 28, 2022 Democratic primary for governor (ran with Juliana Stratton again).
Reelected Governor of Illinois, defeating Darren Bailey
Defeated Republican Darren Bailey on Nov 8, 2022 with 54.91% of the vote to Bailey's 42.37%; began second term Jan 9, 2023.
Illinois Supreme Court upholds elimination of cash bail
In July 2023 the Illinois Supreme Court ruled the earlier criminal justice reform (which eliminated cash bail) constitutional and set implementation in Sept 2023 (Pritzker had signed the reform in Feb 2021).
Second term begins (official term start date)
Second gubernatorial term officially began on January 9, 2023 (some sources list term start as Jan 9 or Jan 11 dates; inauguration/start of second term in January 2023).
Signed assault weapons & high-capacity magazine ban
On Jan 11, 2023 signed legislation banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines; law immediately took effect but was temporarily enjoined on Jan 20, 2023 before the Illinois Supreme Court allowed it to stand.
Forbes net worth estimate ~$3.5B (Feb 2024)
Forbes magazine estimated JB Pritzker's net worth at approximately $3.5 billion in February 2024, listing him among the wealthiest elected officials.
Governor's office reports major policy & economic milestones (by 2025)
Governor's office summary (2025) cites balanced budgets, elimination of bill backlog, nine credit rating upgrades, infrastructure investments, EV and quantum computing investments and Illinois economy topping $1 trillion.
Forbes net worth update ~$3.7B (May 2025)
As of May 2025, Forbes estimated JB Pritzker's net worth at approximately $3.7 billion.
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