Penny Pritzker

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.).^[1]

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.^[2]

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.^[2] 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.^[3] Pritzker was listed by Forbes as one of the top 300 wealthiest Americans in 2013.^[2]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Pritzker's academic, professional, and political career:^[3]

• 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.).^[4] She replaced Secretary John Bryson.

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

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Pritzker is married with two children.^[3]

Recent news

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

See also

• U.S. Department of Commerce
• Barack Obama

External links

• U.S. Department of Commcerce

Footnotes

v • e U.S. Executive Branch
Elected offices	President Donald Trump • Vice President J.D. Vance
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Cabinet-level offices	Environmental Protection Agency • Office of Management and Budget • U.S. Mission to the United Nations • Council of Economic Advisors • Small Business Administration • White House Chief of Staff
Federally appointed offices	Federal Reserve System • National Security Advisor • White House Press Secretary • U.S. Postmaster General • Central Intelligence Agency • Federal Bureau of Investigation • Internal Revenue Service • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives • National Security Agency • Congressional Budget Office • Federal Election Commission • Transportation Security Administration • Drug Enforcement Administration • Federal Communications Commission
Glossary	Appointment confirmation process • United States Constitution • Electoral College • Deferred action • Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) • Deferred Action for Parents of U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) • Impeachment of federal officials • Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) • North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) • P5+1 and E3+3 • Trade adjustment assistance (TAA) • Trade promotion authority (TPA)