TopVet: Barron Hilton, Hilton Hotels

Barron Hilton was named chairman of the board of Hilton Hotels Corporation in February 1979. The son of company founder, Conrad N. Hilton, Barron Hilton first joined the company in 1951 as an elevator operator. He subsequently held numerous positions and was named president and chief executive officer in 1966, a position he held for 30 years.

Born in Dallas, Texas, on October 23, 1927, Mr. Hilton moved with his family to Southern California in 1935. He saw service as a photographer in the United States Navy during World War II before joining Hilton Hotels Corporation.

At age 19, he began his business career by acquiring the Los Angeles area distributorship of Vita-Pakt Citrus Products Company, a leading manufacturer and distributor of citrus and other food products on the West Coast.

In 1960, Mr. Hilton was the founding owner of the professional football team, Los Angeles Chargers, which he moved to San Diego one year later. There the team won four Western Division titles and one American Football League Championship in five years. During this time, Mr. Hilton also served as president of the American Football League. He sold his majority interest in the team in 1966.

In his role as president of Hilton Hotels Corporation, Mr. Hilton was instrumental in expanding the company’s role in several areas, including originating the universal Carte Blanche credit card system, developing the Hilton Inns franchise program, and leading the way when Hilton Hotels Corporation became the first New York Stock Exchange company to enter the casino gaming industry in 1971.

In addition to his other interests, Mr. Hilton is an aviation enthusiast. In 1956 he formed the Air Finance Corporation for the purpose of leasing aircraft and aircraft equipment to commercial airlines, including the Flying Tigers and Pacific Southwest Airlines. He is a director of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Southern California Visitors Council, and the Executive Council on Foreign Diplomats. He is an honorary director of the Boy Scouts of America and the Great Western Council. He is a trustee of the City of Hope, Saint John’s Hospital and Health Center Foundation in Santa Monica, California, the World Mercy Fund, the Eisenhower Medical Center, and the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation.

Among his more esoteric associations, Mr. Hilton is a Chevalier of Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseures, a Magisterial Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a member of the Conquistadores del Cielo, the International Order of St. Hubert, the PEACE Foundation Council, and the National Honorary Advisory Committee of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. He is a member of the Culinary Institute of America’s Hall of Fame and has been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the gaming industry. In 1998 Pope John Paul II granted Mr. Hilton admission into the Pontifical Order of Saint Gregory the Great.

Mr. Hilton has an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Houston and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from Loyola Marymount University. Hunting, fishing, amateur photography, soaring and ballooning are among His principal interests. He resides in Holmby Hills, California with his wife, Marilyn Hawley Hilton. They are the parents of eight children and have 15 grandchildren.

Photo Credit: https://www.hiltonfoundation.org/news/98-barron-hilton-contributes-1-2-billion-from-sale-of-hilton-hotels-harrah-s-to-the-conrad-n-hilton-foundation