He attended Milton Academy, a boarding school in Milton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. Pritzker was raised in Atherton, California. Pritzker has said that certain overseas trusts for which he was the designated beneficiary were set up by his grandfather and used only for charitable contributions, yielding no personal benefit to him. Pritzker's older siblings are Anthony Pritzker and former United States Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. Sue Pritzker died in an accident at age 49 in 1982.
Donald Pritzker was the president of Hyatt Hotels he died in 1972 of a heart attack at age 39. The Pritzkers have consistently been near the top of the Forbes 'America's Richest Families' list since its 1982 inception. Pritzker's grandfather, Abe Pritzker, was a business lawyer.
A member of the Pritzker family, a Jewish family prominent in business and philanthropy during the late 20th century, Pritzker is named after both of his father's brothers, Jay Pritzker and Robert Pritzker. He is the son of Donald Pritzker and Sue (Sandel) Pritzker. Pritzker was born in Palo Alto, California on January 19, 1965.
