He opened his first hotel in 1919 in Cisco, Texas, which was growing rapidly with the discovery of oil. He continued buying and selling hotels and eventually founded the world's first international hotel chain. When he died in 1979, he left most of his legacy to the foundation established in his name.
Conrad Nicholson Hilton was born on December 25, 1887, in Socorro County, New Mexico. The names of Conrad Hilton's siblings, whose parents married in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on February 12, 1885, are Felice A Hilton (December 6, 1885 - February 12, 1968); Eva C Hilton (29 December 1889 - 1979); Carl H Hilton (January 1892 - 1957); Julia Hilton (1895 - 1897); Rosemary J Hilton (20 June 1898 – 27 November 1995); August H "Boy" Hilton (1901, date of death unknown); and Helen A Hilton (30 January 1906 – 22 February 2003).
Conrad Nicholson Hilton (December 25, 1887 – January 3, 1979) was an American businessman who founded the Hilton Hotels chain. From 1912 to 1916, Hilton was a Republican representative in the first New Mexico Legislature, but became disillusioned with the "inside deals" of politics. In 1919, he purchased his first hotel, the Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas, for $40,000, and subsequently capitalized on the oil boom. The rooms were rented out in 8 hour shifts. He continued to buy and sell hotels, and eventually established the world's first international hotel chain. When he died in 1979, he left the bulk of his estate to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Hilton studied at the New Mexico Military Institute, then attended St. Michael's College and New Mexico School of Mines. When he was in his twenties, he was one of the representatives in the first Legislature of the newly formed state of New Mexico.
He opened a shop in San Antonio, New Mexico, but after a while, he settled in Cisco, Texas. He stepped into the hotel industry with the purchase of Mobley Hotel in 1919. Then, on August 2, 1925, he opened the first hotel he founded, the Dallas Hilton. He formed the Hilton Hotel Corporation in 1945, and the company later expanded to also offer credit cards, car rental services, and travel services.
Conrad Hilton was married three times. Hilton's first marriage was with Mary Adelaide Barron in 1925. From Barron, Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Jr. (1926-1969); William Barron Hilton (1927); They had three sons, named and Eric Michael Hilton (1932). Hilton, who divorced his wife in 1934, married actress Zsa Zsa Gabor in 1942. From this marriage, he had a daughter named Constance Francesca Hilton (1947), who is the only child to continue the lineage of the famous Gabor brothers. Hilton, who was divorced again in 1946, had his third marriage, which lasted until his death, with Mary Frances Kelly in 1976.
Conrad Hilton died in Santa Monica, California, on January 3, 1979, at the age of 91. Hilton's first husband, Barron, who left a quarter of a million dollars to each of his living siblings and 10 thousand dollars to his cousins and nephews in his will, resisted his ex-husband's request and won the lawsuit he filed in 1988. After this, the amount left to Barron and his grandchildren reached 335 million dollars.
With Conrad Hilton's last wish, the Hilton Foundation started to award the Conrad N Hilton Humanitarian Prize. It is the world's largest prize and its monetary value is equal to the Nobel Prize. According to the Hilton Foundation's statement, the purpose of the award is to 'draw attention to humanitarian aid around the world, to promote the organizations that receive it for their humanitarian services, and to enable other organizations to evaluate their earnings in this direction.'