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Pritzker family
- Net Worth:$53.2 billion
- Source:hotels, investments
- Hometown:Chicago, Illinois
- Generations:5
The family behind Hyatt Hotels and industrial conglomerate Marmon (now part of Berkshire Hathaway) is likely best known these days for its famous politicians. J.B. Pritzker (pictured), a member of the clan’s third generation and one of 13 billionaires in the family, is governor of Illinois and running for a third term in 2026. He’s also building his national profile as an opponent of the Trump administration, potentially setting up for a presidential run in 2028. His sister Penny Pritzker served as U.S. commerce secretary under Barack Obama. Their cousin Tom Pritzker was chairman of Hyatt for nearly 22 years before stepping down in February after his association with Jeffrey Epstein became public. The Pritzkers still own 55% of the hotel giant’s stock and 89% of its voting rights, and Tom’s son Jason sits on its board.
Mills family
- Net Worth:$29.6 billion
- Source:medical supplies
- Hometown:Northfield, Illinois
- Generations:5
No one benefitted more from the biggest IPO of 2025 than the Mills family. They own 18% of medical supplies giant Medline, which went public in December and saw its stock soar by 41% to end its first trading day with a market capitalization of around $55 billion. The business traces its history to 1910, when A. L. Mills started selling aprons to butchers in Chicago stockyards before expanding into medical gowns. His grandsons Jon and Jim (d. 2019) Mills transformed the business into Medline in 1966. Cousins Charlie Mills (pictured) and Andy Mills took over from their fathers in 1997 and retired as CEO and president, respectively, in 2023; Charlie is still chairman and both sit on the board. Medline’s stock is down 15% since the end of its IPO day, but the clan’s stake is still worth $8.1 billion. The rest of their fortune comes from a 2021 deal in which they sold 79% of the company to a group of private equity firms in a leveraged buyout that valued Medline at more than $30 billion.
Hunt family
- Net Worth:$25.6 billion
- Source:oil
- Hometown:Dallas, Texas
- Generations:5
Legendary wildcatter H.L. Hunt, Jr. struck oil in the 1920s and 30s, going on to build an energy empire and allegedly inspire the character J. R. Ewing on the hit TV series Dallas. His descendants have multiplied the family’s fortune and fame. His son Lamar Hunt (d. 2006) founded the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs in 1959; Lamar’s son Clark (pictured) now runs the franchise, which won back-to-back Super Bowls in 2022 and 2023. H.L.’s two eldest children, Margaret Hunt Hill (d. 2007) and H.L. Hunt III (d. 2005), sold Hunt Petroleum to XTO Energy in 2008 for $4.2 billion in cash and stock, while his younger son Ray Lee and the heirs of another son, W. Herbert (d. 2024), own Hunt Oil and Petro-Hunt, respectively. Lamar and his brothers Nelson Bunker (d. 2014) and W. Herbert tried—and failed—to corner the silver market in 1980, inspiring the Eddie Murphy hit comedy film Trading Places.
Lauder family
- Net Worth:$21.5 billion
- Source:Estee Lauder
- Hometown:New York, New York
- Generations:4
Makeup maven Estée Lauder revolutionized cosmetics with her eponymous company, founded in 1946. Today, the $14.3 billion (2025 sales) business is run by a hired-hand, though several Lauder family members still sit on the board. The company has had a tough few years with a steep decline in the Asian market, U.S. consumers moving away from the department stores where the company had a big footprint and, more recently, tariffs that are expected to cost the company at least $100 million this year. New Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh (pictured) is married to third-generation Jane Lauder, the company’s former executive vice president and chief data officer, who is the daughter of Clinique chairman and Republican megadonor Ronald Lauder.
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