Mary Kathryn Muenster is the first lady of Illinois and wife of Governor of Illinois J.B. Pritzker. Let’s read about Mary, her life, career, husband, and much more.
Mini Bio
Mary was born on 25 May 1967 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. She is currently 55 years old. She is the daughter of Karen and Theodore Muenster. She comes from a family of politicians. Her mother was a senator from South Dakota from 1987 to 1993. Her father contested the election of a senator but lost to Richard Kniep. She has two siblings. She is most loved in her family. She was very close to her grandmother.
Career
Mary has a niche in criminal law and has a keen interest in helping women in Illinois jails. She has worked as a staff of former US Senate Leader Tom Daschle. She is the Founder and President of JB and MK Pritzker Family Foundation, its primary aim is to focus on early childhood and women’s well-being. She is also a member of the US Equestrian Team Foundation and Director of Northwestern Memorial Foundation. She is also a founder of MK Invitational which focuses on women’s health issues.
Net Worth
As Mary is a former state employee, and founder of many foundations and organizations, it is assumed that her net worth is around $ 2 Million.
Mary’s Love Life
Mary and Pritzker met in the early 1990s in the Senate Office building where Mary used to work. They dated till 1993 and got engaged in 1993. They live a very happy and supportive life and together have two children named Teddy and Donny.
Mary’s Husband
Mary’s husband Jay was born on 19 January 1965 in Atherton, California, United States. He is an American businessman, philanthropist, politician, attorney, and venture capitalist. He is the son of businessman and entrepreneur Donald Pritzker and Sue Pritzker. He is of Jewish descent. His grandfather was a business lawyer. Unfortunately, his father died at the age of 39 in 1972 due to a heart attack and her mother died in a car accident at the age of 49 in 1982.
He attended Milton Academy. He graduated from Duke University with a degree in political science. Then he got his Juris Doctor from the Northwestern University School of Law. He is an attorney registered at the Illinois State Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association.
He served as the Chairman of ChicagoNEXT and he founded a company named Great Chicago Fire. He served an important role in the establishment of the Chicago Entrepreneurial Centre and Illinois Venture Capital Association. He co-founded Chicago Ventures and funded the start-ups of Techstars Chicago and Built in Chicago.
He served as the legislative staff of many senators like Terry Sanford, and Alan Dixon. He founded the Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century to woo the under 40 voters. He served as the co-chairman for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. He for the first time contested the election for the US House of Representatives, where he finished third among the five candidates. Then he became the governor of Illinois from the Democratic Party in 2018 and in 2022, he ran for reelection for the governor post and retained the post by defeating the Republican Party candidate.
Conclusion
Mary is an attorney, philanthropist, businesswoman, mother, and a loving wife. She is well-known in her career and has supported her husband in life. They are a loving couple and have been together for almost 30 years.
