James Crown
James Schine Crown | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 June 1953 |
| Died | 25 June 2023 (aged 70) Woody Creek, Colorado, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, heir |
| Known for | President of Henry Crown and Company; board member of JPMorgan Chase & Co., General Dynamics, and Sara Lee; managing partner at Aspen Skiing Company |
James Schine Crown (June 25, 1953 – June 25, 2023) was a prominent American entrepreneur and heir who led Henry Crown and Company, his family's investment enterprise, as its president. He served on the boards of JPMorgan Chase & Co., General Dynamics, and Sara Lee, and held the position of managing partner at the Aspen Skiing Company.
Early life
Born to Renée (née Schine) and Lester Crown, Crown descended from a notable maternal family that included producer G. David Schine and hospitality and theater pioneer Junius Myer Schine. His grandfather was the influential Chicago industrialist Henry Crown. He was also the brother of Susan Crown.
Career
Crown completed his undergraduate studies with a Bachelor of Arts degree at Hampshire College in 1976, followed by earning a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in 1980. Between 2003 and 2009, he served as chairman of the board of trustees at the University of Chicago. After graduating from law school, he began his career at Salomon Brothers in New York, rising to vice president within the Capital Markets Service Group by 1983.
He became part of his family's investment business in Chicago in 1985, ascending to president in 2002 and later assuming the roles of chairman and CEO in 2018. By June 2023, he was leading the public safety task force of the Commercial Club of Chicago Civic Committee.
Personal life and death
In 1985, Crown wed Paula Hannaway, who graduated magna cum laude with an A.B. from Duke University in 1980 and earned an M.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2012. Together, they had four children.
On June 25, 2023—his seventieth birthday—Crown passed away due to a single-car accident at Aspen Motorsports Park located in Woody Creek, Colorado.