Conrad Hilton
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| Conrad Smith Hilton, Sr. | |
| Born | December 25, 1887 Socorro County, New Mexico Territory, USA |
|---|---|
| Died | January 3, 1979 (aged 91) Santa Monica, California, USA |
| Occupation | Hotelier |
| Known for | Establishing the Hilton Hotel chain |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Adelaide Barron (m. 1925–1934) Zsa Zsa Gabor (m. 1942–1946) Mary Frances Kelly (m. 1976–1979) |
| Children | Conrad Nicholson "Nicky" Hilton, Jr. Constance Francesca Hilton Eric Michael Hilton William Barron Hilton |
Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Sr.[1] (December 25, 1887 – January 3, 1979) was an American socialite, hotelier and founder of the Hilton Hotels chain.
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[edit] Biography
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This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (December 2007) |
Conrad Nicholson Hilton was born in San Antonio, New Mexico, to Augustus Halvorson Hilton (1854–1919) from Norway and Mary Genevieve Laufersweiler (1861–1947), an American with German roots. [2]
Conrad's seven siblings were:
- Felice A. Hilton (December 6, 1885 – February 12, 1968)
- Eva C. Hilton (December 29, 1889 – 1979)
- Carl H. Hilton (January, 1892 – 1957)
- Julian Hilton (1895 – 1897)
- Rosemary J. Hilton (June 20, 1898 – November 27, 1995)
- August H. "Boy" Hilton (1901 – 1929)
- Helen A. Hilton (January 30, 1906 – February 22, 2003)
Conrad Hilton was educated at the New Mexico Military Institute, at St. Michael's College (now the College of Santa Fe), and at the New Mexico School of Mines (now New Mexico Tech). In his early twenties, he was a Republican representative in the first legislature of the newly formed State of New Mexico. In college, Conrad Hilton was a member of the international fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Shortly after the United States entered World War I in 1917, Conrad Hilton enlisted in the U.S. Army and was sent to Officers' Training Command, Presidio of San Francisco. Second Lieutenant Hilton arrived in France, February 14, 1918. His unit, the 304th Labor Battalion, saw limited combat. Conrad Hilton was discharged at Camp Dix (now Fort Dix), New Jersey on February 11, 1919. While Conrad was in the army, his father Gus had been killed in a car accident.
In concert with his father, Conrad Hilton had helped build up an inn as well as a general Store in Socorro County, New Mexico, but he then moved to Texas. He entered the hotel business by buying the Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas, in 1919. He went on to buy hotels throughout Texas. The first high rise hotel he built was the Dallas Hilton (now the Hotel Indigo), which opened in 1925. This was followed by the Abilene Hilton in 1927, Waco Hilton in 1928, and El Paso Hilton in 1930. His first hotel outside of Texas was the La Posada de Albuquerque, which he built in 1939 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He formed the Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1946 followed by Hilton International Company in 1948. The company expanded into credit cards (Carte Blanche), car rentals, and other travel services.
During the Great Depression Hilton was nearly forced into bankruptcy and lost several of his hotels. He was retained as manager, however, and eventually bought them back.
During the post-war period, the 1950s and 1960s, Hilton Hotels' worldwide expansion facilitated both American tourism and overseas business by United States corporations. At the same time it promulgated a certain worldwide standard for hotel accommodations. It was the world's first international hotel chain.
In 1966 Conrad Hilton was succeeded as President by his son Barron and was elected Chairman of the Board.
Hilton had three wives and four children:
- Mary Adelaide Barron (1906–1966): Conrad Hilton and Barron married in 1925 and divorced in 1934. They had three sons: Conrad Nicholson "Nicky" Hilton, Jr. (1926–1969) (first husband of Elizabeth Taylor), William Barron Hilton (1927– ), and Eric Michael Hilton (1933– )
- Zsa Zsa Gabor: Conrad Hilton and Gabor married in 1942 and divorced in 1946. They had one daughter, Constance Francesca Hilton (1947– ), who is the only child born to any of the famous Gabor sisters. According to Gabor's book, One Lifetime Is Not Enough, her pregnancy resulted from her being raped by Conrad Hilton.
- Mary Frances Kelly: Conrad Hilton and Kelly married 1976 and she became his widow in 1979.
Conrad Hilton died on January 3, 1979, in Santa Monica, California at age 91 from natural causes. He is interred at Calvary Hill Cemetery, in Dallas, Texas. Calvary Hill is a Catholic cemetery.
He left US$50,000 each to two of his surviving siblings and US$100,000 to each of his nieces and nephews and his daughter Francesca. The bulk of his estate was left to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, which he established in 1944. However, Conrad's son, Barron, contested the will and won in 1988, which resulted in a negotiated settlement with the Foundation. Under the settlement the parties agreed to divide the disputed shares of stock into three parts: Barron Hilton would receive 4 million shares, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation would receive 3.5 million shares, and the remaining 6 million shares would be placed in the W. Barron Hilton Charitable Remainder Unitrust. Upon Barron Hilton's death, or in the year 2009, whichever occurs later, Unitrust assets would be transferred to the Hilton Foundation.
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation's mission is the alleviation of human suffering worldwide. The Foundation created the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize in 1996.
Conrad Hilton's autobiography, Be My Guest,[3] was published in 1957 by Prentice Hall. A copy of the book is placed in every Hilton Hotel room.
He is the great-grandfather of socialites Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton. There are currently two members of the Hilton family named Conrad. One is Paris' younger brother, Conrad Hughes Hilton. The other is Conrad Nicholson Hilton III, son of Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Jr. Interestingly, none of Conrad Hilton's descendants were designated as heirs to his estate.
The Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston is named after Conrad Hilton, as is the College of Business Administration building at Loyola Marymount University.
[edit] Quotations
- "Success seems to be connected to action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit."
- "If you are 100% occupied, you are not charging enough rent."
- "I like the tumult of life. I like its problems, its ever changing stresses."
[edit] References
- ^ Ancestry of Paris Hilton
- ^ [1] Father: Augustus Holver Hilton (Norwegian) — Mother: Mary Laufersweiler (German)
- ^ Be My Guest Excerpts
[edit] External links
- Biographical Essay by Cathleen Baird (2004) (PDF, 24 pages)
- Conrad N. Hilton College at University of Houston
- Conrad Hilton's Secret of Success
- Conrad Hilton, Collector of Hotels (New York Times Magazine, 1949)
- Conrad Hilton
- Innkeeper to the World (TIME, 1963)
- The Key Man (TIME, 1949)
- Waldorf-Astoria as Hotels No. 16 (TIME, 1949)
- Conrad Hilton at Find a Grave
