A Hilton We Don’t Hate

We've seen enough of Paris to last a lifetime -- but the famous heiress' grandfather, Barron Hilton, is redeeming the family name by pledging his fortune to charity.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on January 03 2008

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We’ve all seen more than enough of the tearful tirades, nightclub antics, and prison escapades of a certain blond heiress. And under normal circumstances, the Hilton name would never, ever, appear in the pages of this site – after all, making our readers roll their eyes in disgust doesn’t exactly fit with our mission statement here. (Though Paris’ pledge to get alcoholic elephants off the sauce was a noble effort, we must admit.)

But for once, we’ve got legitimate good news to report, thanks to another member of the infamous Hilton family: Paris’ grandfather, Barron Hilton.

The 80-year-old man has more than $2.3 billion to his name, thanks to a large inheritance from his father, Hilton Hotel chain founder, Conrad Hilton – and now, he’s pledged to donate nearly all of his riches to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, a charity created by his father that provides funding for education, clean water, housing, and other worthy causes.

Barron Hilton has pledged an immediate donation of $1.2 billion to the Foundation, with the remainder to follow after his death. His generous gift will make the Hilton Foundation one of the most powerful charitable organizations in the United States.

“Speaking for the family as well as the foundation, we are all exceedingly proud and grateful for this extraordinary commitment,” Barron’s son, and the Foundation’s president, Steven M. Hilton said in a statement.

Barron Hilton’s generous donation to the Foundation also ensures that his father’s hard-earned dough won’t be squandered away on Paris’ party dresses and luxury mansions – meaning that she may actually have to work for a living one day. Maybe as an elephant AA counselor?

Filed under: Celebrities, Non-Profits,

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