James Crown Obituary

James Crown was an American businessman and heir.

Crown was born the son of Renee and Lester Crown. His mother was the sister of producer G. David Schine and the daughter of theatre and hotel magnate, Junius Myer Schine. His grandfather was Chicago industrialist Henry Crown. His sister was Susan Crown.

Crown served as chairman of the board of trustees of the University of Chicago from 2003 to 2009. After law school, Crown worked as an associate for Salomon Brothers in New York City where he became a vice president of the Capital Markets Service Group in 1983.

In 1985, Crown returned to Chicago to join his family’s investment firm. In June 2023, he served as the chairman of the Commercial Club of Chicago Civic Committee’s public safety task force.

He was president of Henry Crown and Company, a family investment company. He was a director of JPMorgan Chase & Co., General Dynamics and Sara Lee. He was also the managing partner of the Aspen Skiing Company.