JB Pritzker and His Wife Came From Very Different Worlds
"No one could have imagined this union," JB's wife said.
Published July 22 2024, 3:34 p.m. ET
You've probably heard JB Pritzker's name floating around as a potential contender in the 2024 election after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. The attorney and philanthropist has been serving as governor of Illinois since 2019 and has championed a number of progressive causes in the state, from legalizing marijuana to raising the minimum wage.
But what about JB's family? Does he have a wife and kids? Here's what to know about the politician's better half (including how they met on a blind date), as well as their children.
Who is JB Pritzker's wife?
JB Pritzker has been married to philanthropist Mary Kathryn "MK" Muenster since 1993. MK grew up in South Dakota and Nebraska, often helping out on her grandmother's farm.
“My dad was the first person in the family to go to college, where he met my mom, who eventually became a state senator," MK told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Dad served as chief of staff to South Dakota Gov. Richard Kneip, the next-to-last Democrat to serve as the state’s governor since 1978."
MK's life growing up was a far cry from that of her future husband's. (Especially if you consider the fact that JB is an heir to the Hyatt Hotel dynasty, and grew up in a big California city.)
"No one could have imagined this union," MK told the paper. "JB and I came from two very different worlds, wound up working on the same floor of the Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., and met on a blind lunch date. The lunch cost JB a total of $4.80."
MK, who graduated from the University of Nebraska, previously worked in Washington, DC, on the staffs of former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey, according to her National Governors Association bio.
She would later take on a leadership role within the Pritzker Family Foundation, with a focus on funding women's health in Chicago.
Who are JB Pritzker's kids? He has two children with his wife MK.
JB and MK have two children together: a daughter named Teddi and a son named Don. Teddi, like her mom, appears to be a horse lover; she even jumps competitively. Not much is publicly known about Don.
What is JB Pritzker's net worth?
According to Forbes, JB is worth a whopping $3.5 billion. The philanthropic donor and successful businessman — who, as previously mentioned, is an heir to the Hyatt fortune — launched several venture capital and investment startups, including the private equity firm Pritzker Group. In 2018, the longtime Democratic party donor unseated Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner to become the governor of Illinois.
