Penny Pritzker

Penny Pritzker

Prior offices

U.S. Secretary of Commerce

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Education

Bachelor's

Harvard College

Graduate

Stanford University

Law

Stanford University

Personal

Profession

Real Estate, Finance

Contact

Personal website

Penny Sue Pritzker was the secretary of commerce under the Obama administration. She was confirmed by the Senate on June 25, 2013, by a vote of 97-1. The only dissenting vote was cast by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Pritzker previously ran an investment firm and a real estate group in Chicago, Illinois. Her uncle founded the Hyatt Hotel chain, which her father ran for 10 years as president of the company. Pritzker was also the chairwoman of the board at Hyatt before becoming the secretary of commerce.

Biography

Pritzker was born in Chicago, Illinois. The Pritzker family at one point owned a bank, a credit reporting agency, an industrial conglomerate, residential developments and the Hyatt chain of hotels. After graduating high school, she attended Harvard College before earning an MBA and J.D. from Stanford University. She founded and co-founded multiple businesses and was a board member for others, including Hyatt. Pritzker was listed by Forbes as one of the top 300 wealthiest Americans in 2013.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Pritzker's academic, professional, and political career:

• 2013-2017: U.S. Secretary of Commerce
• 2012: Founded PSP Capital Partners
• 2010: Co-founded Artemis Real Estate Partners
• 1998: Co-founded The Parking Spot
• 1991-1994: Chairman of Superior Bank
• 1991: Founded Pritzker Realty Group
• 1987: Founded Classic Residence by Hyatt
• 1984: Earned MBA and J.D. from Stanford University
• 1981: Graduated from Harvard College

Confirmation vote

Pritzker was confirmed by the Senate on June 25, 2013, by a vote of 97-1. The only dissenting vote was cast by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). She replaced Secretary John Bryson.

Penny Pritzker confirmation vote, June 25, 2013
Party	Votes for a	Votes against d	Total votes
Democrats	51	0	51
Republicans	45	0	45
Independents	1	1	2
Total Votes	97	1	98

Executive Departments of the United States

Executive Departments Department of State • Department of the Treasury • Department of Defense • Department of Justice • Department of the Interior • Department of Agriculture • Department of Commerce • Department of Labor • Department of Health and Human Services • Department of Housing and Urban Development • Department of Transportation • Department of Energy • Department of Education • Department of Veterans Affairs • Department of Homeland Security

Department Secretaries Marco Rubio • Scott Bessent • Pete Hegseth • Pam Bondi • Doug Burgum • Brooke Rollins • Lori Chavez-DeRemer • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. • Scott Turner • Howard Lutnick • Sean Duffy • Chris Wright • Linda McMahon • Doug Collins • Kristi Noem

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Pritzker is married with two children.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Penny + Pritzker + Secretary + Commerce

Penny Pritzker News Feed

See also

• U.S. Department of Commerce
• Barack Obama

External links

• U.S. Department of Commcerce

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by John Bryson	U.S. Secretary of Commerce 2013-2017	Succeeded by -