Hilton Chair

The story of the Conrad Hilton Foundation begins with the man for whom the foundation is named. Hard work, faith in God, an abiding patriotic confidence in the United States and the capacity to dream as large as his imagination would allow were the cornerstones of Conrad N. Hilton's life.

Born in a primitive adobe dwelling on Dec. 25, 1887, in San Antonio, New Mexico Territory, Conrad Hilton was one of seven children of a Norwegian immigrant father and a German-American mother. The young boy developed entrepreneurial skills working at his father's general store that would guide him for a lifetime.

The most enduring influence to shape Mr. Hilton's philanthropic philosophy beyond that of his parents was the Catholic Church and its Sisters. He credited his mother, Mary, with guiding him to prayer and the Church whenever he was troubled or dismayed; from a boyhood loss of a beloved pony to severe financial losses during the Great Depression.

The world witnessed and recognized Conrad N. Hilton's greatness and vision as a leader during the Great Depression and World War II as well as in prosperity. It was not wishful thinking that guided his expectations. Rather he used extraordinary instinct and enthusiasm to create an imaginative master plan to achieve his dream.

Beginning with his first purchase, the 40-room Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas, in 1919, to the thousands of guest rooms at Hilton properties throughout the world at the time of his death, his name was, and remains, synonymous with hotels.

He capitalized on this global success by taking advantage of his role as an entrepreneurial statesman to promote a post-World War II philosophy of reconciliation and non-violence as reflected in a Hilton corporate motto of that time "World Peace Through International Trade and Travel."

Conrad Hilton successfully combined a lifetime of professional achievement with a genuine feeling of concern and responsibility toward the less fortunate. This most sensitive of human qualities is reflected beautifully in his Last Will and Testament, wherein he created a legacy that his wealth be eternally reinvested to alleviate human suffering throughout the world.