Conrad Hilton Jr.

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Conrad Hilton Jr.
Nicky Hilton Jr., 1957 (cropped).jpg
Hilton in 1957
Born
Conrad Nicholson Hilton Jr.

(1926-07-06)July 6, 1926
DiedFebruary 5, 1969(1969-02-05) (aged 42)
OccupationBusinessman
Spouses
  • (m. 1950; div. 1951)
  • Patricia McClintock
    (m. 1958; div. 1965)
Children2
Parent
RelativesHilton family

Conrad Nicholson 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 and the first husband of actress Elizabeth Taylor.

Life and career

Conrad Hilton Jr. was born in Dallas, Texas. His father, Conrad Hilton, was the founder of Hilton Hotels, and his mother was Mary Adelaide Barron. Hilton grew up with three younger siblings: William Barron Hilton, Eric Michael Hilton and Constance Francesca Hilton. He is the great-uncle of Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton.

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.[1] His father enrolled him at École hôtelière de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland but he was suspended after six months.[2][3] In his later years, he was a director and chairman of the executive committee of the Hilton International Company.[4]

Hilton died at the age of 42 from a sudden heart attack due to alcoholism on February 5, 1969.[4] His funeral was held at St. Paul's Church in Los Angeles.[4] He is interred in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.[5]

Personal life

Hilton had an affair with his stepmother, Zsa Zsa Gabor, in 1944, according to claims made by Gabor after his death.[6]

In October 1949, Hilton met Elizabeth Taylor at Mocambo nightclub in Los Angeles.[7] The couple were married at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills on May 6, 1950. They had a tempestuous 8-month marriage due to his gambling, drinking, heroin addiction, and abusive behavior."[2][8][9] During one of his violent outbursts, Hilton kicked Taylor in the stomach and caused her to have a miscarriage.[10][11][12] Taylor announced their separation in December 1950;[13] she was granted a divorce on grounds of mental cruelty on January 29, 1951.[7]

In September 1951, actress Betsy von Furstenberg announced her engagement to Hilton but they never wed.[14][15]

Hilton gained a reputation for being a playboy and becoming violent when he was intoxicated.[16] In May 1954, Hilton was arrested on a drunk charge.[17]

Hilton dated various actresses such as Terry Moore, Mamie Van Doren, Arlene Solof, and Jeanne Carmen.[18][19] In 1957, he dated actresses Natalie Wood and Joan Collins.[18][20] Shortly after, he dated Mexican actress Silvia Pinal, whom he met at the opening of a hotel in Acapulco.[21]

In 1958, Hilton married Patricia McClintock, an oil heiress from Oklahoma. They had two sons, Conrad Nicholson Hilton III and Michael Otis Hilton.[22] Their marriage deteriorated as Hilton came addicted to the sleeping pill Seconal and mixed it with hard liquor.[2] McClintock filed for divorce from Hilton on February 10, 1964, which was granted in 1965.[23]

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Taraborrelli, J. Randy (April 1, 2014). The Hiltons: The True Story of an American Dynasty. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4555-8236-5.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ The Hiltons
  6. ^ Bennetts, Leslie (September 6, 2007). "It's a Mad, Mad, Zsa Zsa World". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Smith, Laura C. (January 26, 1996). "Elizabeth Taylor's divorce from Nicky Hilton". EW.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  8. ^ Woo, Elaine (March 23, 2011). "Elizabeth Taylor's obituary: outtakes from a 12-year work in progress". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  9. ^ Gussow, Mel (March 23, 2011). "Elizabeth Taylor, 1932–2011: A Lustrous Pinnacle of Hollywood Glamour". The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  10. ^ Hadleigh, Boze (October 20, 2017). Elizabeth Taylor: Tribute to a Legend. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-4930-3106-1.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "Noble Starlet To Wed Hilton". Ogden Standard-Examiner. Utah, Ogden. September 19, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved September 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  15. ^ "Another Gabor". Time. October 15, 1951. p. 104.
  16. ^ Gurvis, Sandra (2011). Paris Hilton: A Biography. ABC-CLIO. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-0-313-37940-6.
  17. ^ Netbun, Deborah (May 4, 2007). "Seven key dates in Hilton history". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ a b 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.
  19. ^ Mueller, Jim (March 23, 1999). "SEX KITTEN WITH NINE LIVES". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  20. ^ Finstad, Suzanne (March 10, 2020). Natalie Wood: The Complete Biography. Crown. ISBN 978-0-593-13695-9.
  21. ^ "La belleza de Silvia Pinal enamoró a un multimillonario de la Época de Oro". El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ "Mrs. Hilton Asks Divorce". The New York Times. February 11, 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 4, 2022.

Further reading

  • Los Angeles Times, Historical Collection