Conrad N. Hilton

1. Conrad N. Hilton • Conrad Nicholson Hilton was born in San Antonio, New Mexico on December 25, 1887. • He is famous for Being a wealthy American businessman, philanthropist, and founder of the Hilton Hotel chain of luxury hotels. • He past away January 3, 1979(age 91), he died from old age. • 1953-1975 Hilton grew his business around the United States. • Mr. Hilton owned 188 hotels in thirty-eight cities in the United States.

2. Conrad Hilton grew up in San Antonio, New Mexico. Conrad Hilton followed his father of being an entrepreneur. His first hotel purchase was the 40-room 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, which opened in 1925. Followed by the many great hotels he owned from 1953-1975 when he built over 188 hotels just in the U.S. Three interesting facts about Hilton are that the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was established in 1944, Married three times, Hilton had three sons Conrad Nicholson Jr., William Barron, and Eric Michael, with his first wife Mary Barron and that he has one of the biggest chains of hotel owning business. Hilton hotels Interesting Facts

3. Conrad Hilton Foundation • The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is a family foundation established in 1944 by the man who started Hilton Hotels. The Hilton Foundation provides funds to nonprofit organizations working to improve the lives of disadvantaged and needing people throughout the world. • Conrad N. Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels, established the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation as a philanthropic trust in 1944. In 1950, the Foundation was legally established as a nonprofit corporation, separate from Hilton Hotels Corporation. Upon his death in 1979, Conrad Hilton left nearly his entire estate to the Hilton Foundation. Other Hilton family members serve on the Foundation board.

4. Timeline Of Conrad • The first high rise hotel he built was the Dallas Hilton, which opened in 1925. This was followed by the Abilene Hilton in 1927, Waco Hilton in 1928, and El Paso Hilton in 1930. • He formed the Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1946 followed by Hilton International Company in 1948. During the 1950s and 1960s, Hilton Hotels' worldwide expansion facilitated both American tourism and overseas business by American corporations. It was the world's first international hotel chain. • Hilton received honorary degrees from the University of Detroit in 1953. In 1953-1966 he got degrees from or offers from 8 different colleges. • In 1925, Hilton married Mary Adelaide Barron. • In 1942, Hilton married actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, They had one child(Constance Francesca Hilton) • In 1976, Hilton married Mary Frances Kelly. Their marriage lasted until his death in 1979. • In 1979, Hilton died of natural causes at the age of 91. He is interred at Calvary Hill Cemetery, a Catholic cemetery in Dallas Texas. He left $500,000 to each of his two surviving siblings and $10,000 to each of his nieces, nephews and to his daughter Francesca. The most of his estate was left to the Foundation. His son, Barron Hilton, who spent much of his career helping build the hotel corporation, contested the will and won. Barron Hilton received 4 million shares of the hotel enterprise, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation received 3.5 million shares, and the remaining 6 million shares were placed in the W. Barron Hilton Charitable Remander Unistrust. Upon Barron Hilton's death, Unitrust assets will be transferred to the Hilton Foundation.

5. Work Cited • www.who2.com/conradhilton • www.hiltonfoundation.org/ • www.newmexico.org/western/learn/conrad_hilton.php