Conrad Nicholson Hilton was born on 25 December 1887, in San Antonio, New Mexico USA, and died on 3 January 1979 in Santa Monica, California. Conrad was a very successful American hotelier and businessman, best known as the founder of the Hilton Hotels chain, which probably had the biggest impact on his total net worth.
So, just how rich was Conrad Hilton? His net worth is estimated by sources to have been over $1 billion, the larger part of his wealth having come from his investments, and Hilton Hotels chain consisting of over 3600 hotels worldwide. In spite of suffering a massive financial setback throughout the Great Depression of the 1930s, he was still able to maintain a hotel empire. While he was alive, he was considered as one of the richest people in the world. After his death, his two living siblings received $500,000 each, his daughter Francesca $100,000, and each of his nieces and nephews $10,000. What was Conrad’s empire has only grown bigger and richer since then.
Conrad Hilton Net Worth $ Million
Conrad spent his childhood in San Antonio, attending Goss Military (New Mexico Military Institute), New Mexico School of Mines (now New Mexico Tech), and the St. Michael’s College (now Santa Fe University of Art and Design). Although he became an engineer by profession, his interests were elsewhere. In 1912 he was elected to the state legislature as a Republican, then in 1917 he was a volunteer in the army, and after World War 1 he moved to Texas and opened his first hotel in Cisco, the 40-room Mobley Hotel. During the Great Depression, he lost eight of his hotels and was nearly bankrupt, but he managed to retain some of his numerous possessions, and later replaced what he had lost. In 1954, he bought the Statler Hotels Company for $111,000,000, which was his main competitor; it is still known as one of the largest real estate transactions ever. At his peak, Hilton had a total of 188 in the U.S. and 54 hotels outside the country. In the 1960s, he opened his first casino hotel in Las Vegas. His Stevens Hotel in Chicago was, at the time, the world’s largest hotel. He even wrote two books about his life and his success. In 1966, he was succeeded by his son Barron as the chairman of the company.
Concerning his personal life, Conrad had seven siblings. He was married three times, firstly to Mary Barron (1925-34) with whom he had three children, then to Hungarian actress Zsa Zsa Gabor (1942-47) with whom he had a daughter. He married Mary Frances Kelly in 1976. His granddaughters are Paris and Nicky Hilton. He was extensively involved in charities, partly show-cased by a legacy having hospitals and libraries named after him which he had significantly supported. Hilton founded the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation which rewards those who work to end suffering in the world, including programs for the blind and the homeless. He was a devoted Catholic, but always credited his mother for shaping his philanthropic beliefs by teaching him about fate and religion.
