Editing Conrad Hilton (section)

==Career==
As a young boy, Hilton developed entrepreneurial skills working at his father's general store in [[Socorro County, New Mexico]], which was partially converted into a 10-room hotel.<ref name="tshaonline.org">[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhi39 ''The Handbook of Texas Online'' (Texas State Historical Association)].</ref><ref>[https://theoutline.com/post/1073/hilton-never-ending-quest-to-build-a-hotel-in-space ''The never-ending quest to build a hotel in space''].</ref> This was followed by varied experiences, including a stint as a representative in New Mexico's first State Legislature, and a career decision to become a banker.

[[File:Conrad_Hilton's_Mobley_Hotel,_Cisco,_TX_IMG_6403.JPG|thumb|Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas.]]

It was intending to buy a bank that he arrived in Texas at the height of the [[Texas oil boom]]. In 1919, he bought his first hotel instead, the 40-room Mobley Hotel in [[Cisco, Texas]],<ref name="tshaonline.org"/> when a bank purchase fell through. The hotel did such brisk business that rooms changed hands as often as three times a day, and the dining room was converted into additional rooms to meet the demand.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="bigspring">Associated Press. "Modest Inn at Cisco Began Hotel String of Conrad Hilton," ''Big Spring Daily Herald'', November 21, 1963, p. 12-A.</ref> He went on to buy and build hotels throughout Texas, including the high-rise [[Dallas Hilton]], which opened in 1925; the Abilene Hilton in 1927; Waco Hilton in 1928; and [[Plaza Hotel (El Paso)|El Paso Hilton]] in 1930. The first hotel outside of Texas that Hilton built was in 1939 in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], today it is known as the [[Hotel Andaluz]]. During the [[Great Depression]], Hilton was nearly forced into [[bankruptcy]] and lost several of his hotels. Nevertheless, he was retained as manager of a combined chain, and eventually regained control of his remaining eight hotels.

Over the next decade, he expanded west to [[California]] and east to [[Chicago]] and [[New York (state)|New York]], crowning his expansions with such acquisitions as the [[Stevens Hotel]] in Chicago (then the world's largest hotel; it was renamed the Conrad Hilton), and the fabled [[Waldorf-Astoria]] in [[New York City]]. He formed the [[Hilton Worldwide|Hilton Hotels Corporation]] in 1946, and Hilton International Company in 1948.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Hilton Hotels' worldwide expansion facilitated both American tourism and overseas business by American corporations. It was the world's first international hotel chain, at the same time establishing a certain worldwide standard for hotel accommodations. In 1954, Hilton Hotels bought The Hotels Statler Company, Inc. for $111 million, then the world's largest real estate transaction. In all, Hilton eventually owned 188 hotels in 38 cities across the U.S., including the [[Mayflower Hotel]] in Washington, D.C.; the [[The Palmer House Hilton|Palmer House]] in Chicago; and the [[Plaza Hotel]] and Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, along with 54 hotels abroad. He later purchased the [[Carte Blanche (credit card)|Carte Blanche]] Credit Company and an interest in the [[American Crystal Sugar Company]], as well as other enterprises.

Hilton received honorary degrees from the [[University of Detroit]] (1953), [[DePaul University]] (1954), [[Barat College]] (1955), [[Adelphi College]] (1957), [[Sophia University]], Tokyo (1963), and the [[University of Albuquerque]] (1975). Hilton's autobiography, ''Be My Guest'',<ref>[http://www.doubletreefranchise.com/SF/Overview/HHC_History.asp?HCode=HHC ''Be My Guest, Autobiography of Conrad Hilton''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324124351/http://www.doubletreefranchise.com/SF/Overview/HHC_History.asp?HCode=HHC |date=March 24, 2012 }}.</ref> was published in 1958 by [[Prentice Hall]]. In 1966, Hilton was succeeded as president by his son, [[Barron Hilton|Barron]], and was elected [[chairman of the board]].