Chicago Business and Civic Leader Jim Crown Killed in Car Racing Accident

Patty Wetli | June 26, 2023, 10:25 am

Jim Crown, far left, is pictured with members of his family and “Chicago Tonight” host Phil Ponce on May 14, 2017. (WTTW)

Chicago business and philanthropic leader Jim Crown was killed Sunday in a car racing accident, according to representatives of the Crown family.

Crown had been celebrating his 70th birthday in Aspen, Colorado, where he was well known as the managing partner of Aspen Skiing Co.

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“The Crown family is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Jim Crown in an accident," the family said in a statement. "The family requests that their privacy be respected at this difficult time. Further details regarding plans for a memorial to remember Jim’s remarkable life will be released at a later date.”

According to the Aspen Daily News, the crash happened at Aspen Motorsports Park and is still under investigation, though it has been determined to have been an accident.

Crown was chairman and chief executive officer of Henry Crown and Company, which invests in public and private securities, real estate and operating companies. At the time of his death, Crown served as the lead director of General Dynamics Corp., director of JPMorgan Chase, and trustee of The Aspen Institute, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Civic Committee and the University of Chicago.

Mayor Brandon Johnson mourned the loss of one of the city's civic leaders.

“I was devastated to hear of Jim Crown’s tragic passing this weekend. A lifelong Chicagoan, Jim gave back to the city through philanthropy and leadership on a number of civic and academic boards as he was deeply committed to investing in Chicago and its people," Johnson said.

"With his generosity, Jim truly embodied the soul of Chicago. I was especially grateful for his commitment to work collaboratively with my administration to build a safer Chicago, having met recently to share ideas. I send my deepest condolences to his wife, four children, grandchildren and the entire Crown family and pray for their peace," the mayor said.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker remembered Crown as "tremendously civic-minded" and said "his passion for caring was unending."

David Axelrod, former chief strategist and senior adviser to Pres. Barack Obama, said Crown's death was not only a blow to Chicago but also "to the many worthy causes he has supported and to all who knew this good and decent man."

Crown was born in 1953, the son of Lester and Renée Crown, whom Chicagoans will know from the family's major gifts to the city, including Millennium Park's Crown Fountain. The WTTW-WFMT public media center on the city's North Side is named for Renée Crown, long-time trustee of the stations' parent organization Window to the World Communications.

After earning a B.A. in political science in 1976 from Hampshire College in Massachusetts, Crown went on to graduate from Stanford Law School in 1980, where he was a distinguished member of the Stanford Law Review and the Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation.

Following law school, Crown joined Salomon Brothers in New York City as an associate, rising to vice president of the Capital Markets Service Group in 1983. He returned to Chicago in 1985 to join his family’s investment firm.

Crown is survived by his wife of 38 years, Paula; children Torie, Hayley, W. Andrew and Summer; son-in-law Matt McKinney; two grandchildren; his parents and six siblings.

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]