Jay Arthur Pritzker (26 August 1922 - 23 January 1999) was an American entrepreneur and conglomerate organizer born in Chicago, Illinois. He is the son of Abram Nicholas Pritzker.
Trained as a lawyer, he early diversified the Chicago-based family business, the Marmon Group, into lumber. With his brother Robert Pritzker, he built a portfolio of 60 diversified industrial corporations. He created the Hyatt Hotel chain 1957 with his brother Donald Pritzker and owned Braniff Airlines from 1983–1988.
In 1979 he established the Pritzker Architecture Prize, which is now considered the most prestigious honor in the field.
In 2004, the Jay Pritzker Pavillion, designed by architect Frank Gehry, was completed as part of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago.