Topic: Conrad Hilton

Conrad Nicholson Hilton (December 25, 1887 – January 3, 1979) was an American hotelier and founder of the Hilton Hotels chain.

Hilton was born in San Antonio, New Mexico. His father, Augustus Halvorsen "Gus" Hilton, was an immigrant from Norway, and his devout Catholic mother, Mary Genevieve (née Laufersweiler), was an American of German descent. Hilton grew up with seven siblings: Felice A. Hilton, Eva C. Hilton, Carl H. Hilton, Julian Hilton, Rosemary J. Hilton, August H. Hilton, and Helen A. Hilton.

Hilton attended the New Mexico Military Institute, at St. Michael's College (now the College of Santa Fe), and the New Mexico School of Mines (now New Mexico Tech). He was a member of the international fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon. In his early twenties, Hilton was a Republican representative in the first legislature of the newly formed State of New Mexico. He served two years in the U.S. Army during World War I. While he was in the army, his father was killed in a car accident.