Barron Hilton, former president and chairman of the board of Hilton Hotels has passed away at 91 years old.
He died at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes.
Barron was the son of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad N Hilton. WPIX11 mentions that he, “started off his hospitality career as a teen by parking cars for hotel guests.“
Besides being in the hospitality business, Barron Hilton enlisted in the Navy, was a philanthropist and founder of the San Diego Chargers when they first began play in the AFL in 1960.
In 1966 Barron Hilton succeeded his father Conrad as president of the board of Hilton Hotels. When he retired in 1996, he stayed in the position of chairman of the board.
His son Steven is currently the chairman of the board of the Conrad N Hilton Foundation. When Hilton Hotels was sold back in 2007, CNN reported, “that Barron Hilton will pass on the $1.2 billion windfall from the sale of Hilton Hotels Corp. not to his famous progeny, but to his family’s philanthropic foundation.”
Granddaughter Paris Hilton shared this message in a tweet, “I am deeply saddened by the loss of my grandfather Barron Hilton. He was a Legend, a visionary, brilliant, handsome, kind and lived a life full of accomplishment and adventure. Ever since I was a little girl I have looked up to him as a businessman.”
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