After graduating from Fenwick High School, he served overseas in the U.S. Army during World War II.
[3] After graduating from Northwestern, Fitzgerald worked briefly for his family’s business, Premier Printing Company.
[1] He then started his own public relations firm in Chicago, Fitzgerald & Cooke, which later became part of Hill & Knowlton.
[4] In addition to being a leader in branch-style banking and technology such as the ATM, Fitzgerald was known in the industry for his prudent approach to lending and his financial management practices.
[1] In 1994, Bank of Montreal acquired by merger Fitzgerald’s Suburban Bancorp, Inc. in all-stock transaction worth $246 million.
[3] “He wanted people who were bothered by debt and would pay it down as fast as possible,” his son Peter Fitzgerald said.
[3] Fitzgerald's records, along with other materials related to his career, are currently housed at the Newberry Library in Chicago.
[9] Fitzgerald was a benefactor to Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, a missionary hospital in Gabon, as well as Northwestern University, the Newberry Library, and the Little Sisters of the Poor.