Governor of Illinois has Ukrainian Roots

So many Americans and Canadians are of Ukrainian descent. Among them is Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois, a member of the family that built the Hyatt Hotels fortune. 

J.B. Pritzker | Biography, Governor, Illinois

https://www.britannica.com/biography/J-B-Pritzker

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These are the results for Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois' Ukrainian roots

AI Overview

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is of Jewish-Ukrainian descent. His great-grandfather and ancestors hailed from the Kyiv region (specifically from a town known as Velyki Prytsky). They immigrated to the United States in the 1880s to escape antisemitic violence and Tsarist pogroms in the Russian Empire. 

He is a member of the prominent Pritzker family, who owns the Hyatt hotel chain and is one of the wealthiest families in the United States. Before being elected governor, Pritzker played a role in the founding of multiple venture capital firms.

Here are a few key details regarding his family’s heritage and connection to Ukraine:

• Ancestral Origins: The family surname derives from their original village, Velyki Prytsky, southeast of Kyiv. His great-grandfather, Yakov Pritzker, managed a sugar factory in the Kyiv Governorate before his descendants fled to the United States. 
• Immigrant Experience: Pritzker's ancestors were sponsored to settle in Clinton, Iowa, before quickly moving to Chicago, where they initially slept in a train station on their first night in the city. 
• Political & Personal Stance: Pritzker frequently invokes his family's immigrant roots to show solidarity with Ukraine. Following the 2022 Russian invasion, his administration led state efforts to divest Illinois from Russian investments. 
• Family Ties: His sister, Penny Pritzker, has also been deeply involved in the region, having previously served as the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery. 

The billionaire Chicago-based Pritzker family founded and largely controls the Hyatt Hotels Corporation. The hotel empire started in 1957 when Jay Pritzker impulsively bought his first airport motel for $2.2 million. Today, Hyatt operates over 1,500 luxury and resort properties worldwide. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Key Family Members & Leadership

• Jay Pritzker (1922–1999): The progenitor of the empire, co-founded the chain and established it into a global brand. [1, 2, 3, 4]
• Thomas J. Pritzker: Jay’s son, who served as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. In February 2026, he retired and stepped down from the board entirely after documents surfaced detailing his past social ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. [1, 2, 3]
• Mark Hoplamazian: The current leader of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, who took over as Chairman of the Board and CEO following the departure of Thomas Pritzker. [1, 2]
• Penny Pritzker: Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and a leading trustee of the family’s wealth, who also serves as an independent director on the Hyatt board. [1, 2]
• J.B. Pritzker: Jay's nephew and the current Governor of Illinois. [1, 2]

Corporate Evolution and Wealth

• Early Expansion: The brothers Jay, Donald, and Robert Pritzker built Hyatt into an internationally recognized luxury chain, introducing major innovations like the open atrium and global loyalty programs. [1, 2]
• Public Offering: The family transitioned the company into a publicly traded entity on the New York Stock Exchange in 2009 to help divide the sprawling fortune among dozens of heirs. [1, 2, 3]
• Current Portfolio: Brands under the massive Hyatt umbrella now encompass the Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Andaz, Miraval, and The Standard, all operating under the World of Hyatt loyalty program. [1]