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Conrad Hilton Jr.

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Conrad Hilton Jr.
Hilton in 1957
Born
Conrad Nicholson Hilton Jr.

(1926-07-06)July 6, 1926
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedFebruary 5, 1969(1969-02-05) (aged 42)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationBusinessman
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1950; div. 1951)​
  • Patricia McClintock
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1958; sep. 1967)​
Children2
Parents
RelativesHilton family

Conrad Nicholson "Nicky" Hilton Jr. (July 6, 1926 – February 5, 1969) was an American socialite, hotel heir, and businessman. He was the eldest son of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton.

Life and career

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Conrad Nicholson Hilton Jr. was born in Dallas, Texas. His parents were Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels, and Mary Adelaide Barron. Hilton had three younger siblings: Barron, Eric, and Francesca. He is a grand-uncle of Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton.[1]

Growing up he did not take interest in the family business and he dropped out of Loyola University in Los Angeles to join the Navy.[2] His father enrolled him at École hôtelière de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, but he was suspended after six months.[3][4] In 1951, he became the vice president of the Hilton Corporation and manager of the Bel Air Hotel.[5][6] In his later years, he was a director and chairman of the executive committee of the Hilton International Company.[7]

Hilton died at the age of 42 from a sudden heart attack due to alcoholism on February 5, 1969.[7] His funeral was held at St. Paul's Church in Los Angeles.[7] He is interred in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.[8]

Personal life

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Hilton dated various Hollywood starlets and gained a reputation for being a playboy.[9]

In October 1949, Hilton met Elizabeth Taylor at the Mocambo nightclub in Los Angeles.[10] The couple were married in a highly publicized ceremony at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills on May 6, 1950.[11][12] They had a tempestuous eight-month marriage due to his gambling, drinking, heroin addiction, and abusive behavior.[3][13][14] During one of his violent outbursts, Hilton kicked Taylor in the stomach and caused her to have a miscarriage.[15][16][17] Taylor announced their separation in December 1950;[18] she was granted a divorce on grounds of mental cruelty on January 29, 1951.[10]

In September 1951, actress Betsy von Furstenberg announced her engagement to Hilton.[19][20] They planned to marry the following spring but they were never married.[21]

In May 1954, Hilton was arrested on drunk charges and received two years of probation.[22][23][24]

In the 1950s, Hilton dated actresses Terry Moore, Mamie Van Doren, Arlene Solof, and Jeanne Carmen.[25][26] In 1957, he dated actresses Natalie Wood and Joan Collins at the same time.[27][28][29] Shortly after, he dated Mexican actress Silvia Pinal, whom he met at the opening of a hotel in Acapulco.[30]

In 1958, Hilton married Patricia McClintock, an oil heiress from Oklahoma. They had two sons, Conrad Nicholson Hilton III and Michael Otis Hilton.[31] Their marriage deteriorated as Hilton became addicted to the sleeping pill Seconal and mixed it with hard liquor.[3] McClintock sued for divorce on February 10, 1964.[32] She charged Hilton with "causing her extreme mental and physical suffering" but they later reconciled.[33] In August 1967, McClintock filed for divorce again, accusing Hilton of "repeated acts and threats of violence."[34] The divorce was never granted but they were separated at the time of Hilton's death.[35]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Conrad Hilton Jr..

References

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  1. ^ Gurvis, Sandra (2011). Paris Hilton: A Biography. ABC-CLIO. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-0-313-37940-6.
  2. ^ Bogle, Donald (June 6, 2017). Elizabeth and Michael: The Queen of Hollywood and the King of Pop—A Love Story. Simon and Schuster. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-4516-7698-3.
  3. ^ a b c Heymann, C. David (Clemens David) (1995). Liz: an intimate biography of Elizabeth Taylor. Internet Archive. New York : Carol Pub. Group. pp. 83–84, 104. ISBN 978-1-55972-267-4.
  4. ^ Taraborrelli, J. Randy (April 1, 2014). The Hiltons: The True Story of an American Dynasty. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4555-8236-5.
  5. ^ "Liz, Nick Married With All-Star Cast". Daily News. May 7, 1950. p. 56.
  6. ^ Amburn, Ellis (2000). The most beautiful woman in the world : the obsessions, passions, and courage of Elizabeth Taylor. Internet Archive. New York, NY : HarperLargePrint. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-06-019719-3.
  7. ^ a b c "Conrad Hilton Jr., 42, Is Dead; Once Wed to Elizabeth Taylor". The New York Times. February 6, 1969. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  8. ^ The Hiltons
  9. ^ Breen, Jay (July 31, 1952). "Hilton Reveals Plan For Getting Along With Girls". The Daily News. p. 2.
  10. ^ a b Smith, Laura C. (January 26, 1996). "Elizabeth Taylor's divorce from Nicky Hilton". EW.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  11. ^ "Hotel Heir Conrad Hilton Weds Elizabeth Taylor". Los Angeles Times. May 7, 1950. p. 1.
  12. ^ "Elizabeth Taylor Weds; 2500 Film Fans Attend". Sunday News. May 7, 1950. p. 1.
  13. ^ Woo, Elaine (March 23, 2011). "Elizabeth Taylor's obituary: outtakes from a 12-year work in progress". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  14. ^ Gussow, Mel (March 23, 2011). "Elizabeth Taylor, 1932–2011: A Lustrous Pinnacle of Hollywood Glamour". The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  15. ^ Hadleigh, Boze (October 20, 2017). Elizabeth Taylor: Tribute to a Legend. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-4930-3106-1.
  16. ^ Kuczynski, Alex (September 29, 2002). "Good Times and Bum Times, but She's Here". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  17. ^ Mann, William J. (2009). How to be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-547-13464-2.
  18. ^ "TO DIVORCE NICK HILTON; Elizabeth Taylor Rules Out Possibility of Reconciliation". The New York Times. December 15, 1950. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  19. ^ "Noble Starlet To Wed Hilton". Ogden Standard-Examiner. Utah, Ogden. September 19, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved September 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  20. ^ "Another Gabor". Time. October 15, 1951. p. 104.
  21. ^ "'Betsy Von' Says She'll Wed Nicky in Spring". The Austin American. January 6, 1952. p. 1.
  22. ^ Netbun, Deborah (May 4, 2007). "Seven key dates in Hilton history". Los Angeles Times.
  23. ^ "Nicky, Hilton, Freed From Jail, Threatens 'Expose'". Los Angeles Times. May 14, 1954. p. 2.
  24. ^ "Nicky Hilton Fined and Put on Probation". Los Angeles Times. May 18, 1954. p. 23.
  25. ^ Oppenheimer, Jerry (2006). House of Hilton : from Conrad to Paris: a drama of wealth, power, and privilege. Internet Archive. New York : Crown Publishers. pp. 186, 207–212. ISBN 978-0-307-33722-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  26. ^ Mueller, Jim (March 23, 1999). "SEX KITTEN WITH NINE LIVES". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  27. ^ Mosby, Aline (March 1957). "Joan Collins Sets Date Record: Hollywood 'Queen' Is Having a Ball". Press and Sun-Bulletin. p. 16.
  28. ^ Hopper, Hedda (April 14, 1957). "She Grew Up Beautiful". Chicago Sunday Tribune Magazine. p. 26.
  29. ^ "Joan Collins is so tired of falling in love". Sunday Dispatch. April 28, 1957. p. 7.
  30. ^ "La belleza de Silvia Pinal enamoró a un multimillonario de la Época de Oro". El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  31. ^ "Meet the Hiltons: A who's who of May cover star Paris Hilton's famous family". Tatler.com. March 25, 2021. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  32. ^ "Mrs. Hilton Asks Divorce". The New York Times. February 11, 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  33. ^ "Nicky Hilton's Wife Files for Divorce, Custody". Los Angeles Times. February 11, 1964. p. 31.
  34. ^ "'Nicky' Hilton Sued for Divorce". The Boston Globe. August 11, 1967. p. 2.
  35. ^ "Nicky Hilton, Hotel Heir, Playboy, Dies in Sleep at 42". The San Bernardino County Sun. February 6, 1969. p. 5.

Further reading

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  • Los Angeles Times, Historical Collection
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