Eric Hilton was born on July 1, 1933 in Dallas, Texas. He was the third son of Conrad Hilton (the founder of the Hilton Hotels Corporation.) and his first wife Mary Adelaide Barron.
Growing up in El Paso, Texas, Hilton was educated at El Paso High School and graduated from Texas Western College. He served as a radar specialist in the Army in the Korean War.
Hilton started his career at the Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1949. He first worked at the El Paso Hilton, working his way up from "bellman, doorman, steward, cook, elevator operator, desk clerk and telephone operator." Within a decade, in 1959, he became the manager of the Deshler Hilton in Columbus, Ohio. Two years later, in 1961, he became the manager of the Shamrock Hilton in Houston, Texas. He later served as the corporation's executive vice president. He also served on its board of directors. He served as its vice chairman from 1993 to 1997, when he retired.

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