Business Magnates & Tycoons Codexery

Conrad Hilton

Founder of Hilton Hotels, former New Mexico legislator.

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Conrad Hilton was a hotel executive born on December 25, 1887, in San Antonio, New Mexico territory.[1] Pneumonia caused the death of Conrad Hilton on January 3, 1979; he was 91 years old at that time.[2]

Key facts and history

Hilton attended the Goss Military Academy, St. Michael's College, and the New Mexico School of Mines.[3] He refused to run for a fourth term in 1916, endorsing his political ally Quianu Robinson.[4] He opened a new Texas hotel every year between 1925 and 1930, owning eight hotels by the onset of the Great Depression.[1] During World War I, Hilton spent two years in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of second lieutenant and serving in the Quartermaster Corps located in Paris.[5]

After a planned bank acquisition did not go through in 1919, Hilton instead bought his inaugural hotel, the 40-room Mobley Hotel situated in Cisco, Texas.[6] Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor and Conrad Hilton were married in 1942; the couple had a daughter named Francesca before their divorce was finalized in 1947.[7] The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was the primary beneficiary of Hilton's will, receiving the majority of his fortune, which was valued at roughly half a billion dollars.[1]

What the cited sources add

The Texas State Historical Association account states that Hilton authored a prayer, "America on Its Knees," first published in 1952 and later placed in every Hilton hotel.[1] The same source notes that after a succession of thirty-five separate wills, Hilton gave his estate to charity through the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, established to promote world peace, help children, and support Catholic nuns.[1] The Glion Institute article describes how Hilton's father, August Halvorsen Hilton, an immigrant from Norway, opened the first dry goods store in San Antonio and taught his children to help in the business from their early years.[8] That article also states that Hilton's mother instilled in him a deep devotion to the Catholic faith and belief in the power of prayer.[8]

References

  1. The Handbook of Texas Online (Texas State Historical Association).. facts only, no text reused. tshaonline.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Conrad Hilton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Long, "Conrad Hilton dies at 91", El Paso Times, January 4, 1979 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Conrad Hilton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hoover, "Conrad Hilton: The Dreamer Who Conquered an Industry", Archbridge Institute, April 24, 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Conrad Hilton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hoover, "Conrad Hilton: The Dreamer Who Conquered an Industry", Archbridge Institute, April 24, 2018; "The Silver Spade: The Conrad Hilton Story", Farrar, Straus and Young, 1954 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Conrad Hilton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Determination in adversity: the story of Conrad Hilton", The Insider: The Magazine of Glion Institute of Higher Education, October 22, 2020. Retrieved July 14,; "Be My Guest" by Conrad Hilton, copyright 1958 by the Prentice Hall Press (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Conrad Hilton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The Handbook of Texas Online (Texas State Historical Association). (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Conrad Hilton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bennetts, "It's a Mad, Mad, Zsa Zsa World", September 6, 2007; Lee, "Francesca Hilton, daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor and Conrad Hilton, dies at 67", Los Angeles Times, January 6, 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "Determination in adversity: the story of Conrad Hilton", The Insider: The Magazine of Glion Institute of Higher Education, October 22, 2020. Retrieved July 14,. facts only, no text reused. glion.edu

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Conrad Hilton (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In which place was Conrad Hilton born?

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Not quite. The answer is San Antonio, New Mexico Territory, U.S..

2. In what year was Conrad Hilton born?

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Not quite. The answer is 1887.

3. In what year did Conrad Hilton die?

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Not quite. The answer is 1979.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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