Key Takeaways
- • John L. Hines, age 97, died peacefully on September 27, 2026, according to a Chicago Tribune obituary.
- • Hines spent a career in Chicago-area finance, joining Continental Bank as a lending officer in 1964 and later leading its venture capital arms.
- • From 1970 until his retirement in 1989, Hines served as president of Continental Illinois Venture Corporation and Continental Illinois Equity Corporation, leading over 120 investments.
- • Hines led a highly profitable 1978 investment in Apple Computer, made two years before its IPO, and was honored by the Illinois Venture Capital Association with the 2009 Stanley C. Golder Award.
Summary
John L. Hines, a Chicago-area native who died on September 27, 2026 at age 97, is remembered in a Chicago Tribune obituary as a pioneering figure in Midwest venture capital and private equity. Born in 1929, he graduated from Francis W. Parker School and Stanford University in 1951 and began his career at Commercial Discount Company, a Chicago commercial finance firm founded by Sidney Feuchtwanger, who mentored him in his early years.
Hines joined Continental Bank as a lending officer in 1964 and became one of the nation's leading lenders to computer leasing companies by the late 1960s. He then persuaded bank leadership to diversify into the then-fledgling private equity industry. From 1970 until his retirement in 1989, he served as president of Continental Illinois Venture Corporation and Continental Illinois Equity Corporation. According to the obituary, he led more than 120 investments, most notably a highly profitable 1978 investment in Apple Computer made two years before its IPO. In 2009, the Illinois Venture Capital Association gave him its annual Stanley C. Golder Award for what it described as "profound and lasting contributions to the private equity industry in Illinois." Industry leaders he trained credit his exacting standards for their success.
The obituary also describes Hines's personal interests, including design, craftsmanship, automobiles, and the building of detailed ship replicas. He was predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Marjorie B. Hines, who died in 2023. He is survived by children Mary (Richard) Bendix and John L. (Lauren) Hines, Jr., grandchildren, and stepchildren. The family has requested that contributions in lieu of flowers be directed to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Hines joined Continental Bank as a lending officer in 1964 and became one of the nation's leading lenders to computer leasing companies by the late 1960s. He then persuaded bank leadership to diversify into the then-fledgling private equity industry. From 1970 until his retirement in 1989, he served as president of Continental Illinois Venture Corporation and Continental Illinois Equity Corporation. According to the obituary, he led more than 120 investments, most notably a highly profitable 1978 investment in Apple Computer made two years before its IPO. In 2009, the Illinois Venture Capital Association gave him its annual Stanley C. Golder Award for what it described as "profound and lasting contributions to the private equity industry in Illinois." Industry leaders he trained credit his exacting standards for their success.
The obituary also describes Hines's personal interests, including design, craftsmanship, automobiles, and the building of detailed ship replicas. He was predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Marjorie B. Hines, who died in 2023. He is survived by children Mary (Richard) Bendix and John L. (Lauren) Hines, Jr., grandchildren, and stepchildren. The family has requested that contributions in lieu of flowers be directed to the Art Institute of Chicago.
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