Howard Hughes

Las Vegas, 1960s

Born: December 24, 1905, in Texas (Online Nevada Encyclopedia says Dallas; PBS says Houston)
Died: April 1976, aged 70, aboard a plane taking him from Acapulco to a hospital in Houston
Arrived in Las Vegas: November 27, 1966 (Thanksgiving), secretly by private train
Las Vegas home: The Desert Inn on the Strip, where he stayed in a ninth-floor suite for four years
Desert Inn purchase: $13.2 million; he took over the hotel on March 31, 1967
Strip casinos bought: Desert Inn, Sands, Castaways and Frontier (1967); Silver Slipper and Landmark (1968)
Peak holdings: Almost 2,000 hotel rooms, about 20 percent of the rooms on the Strip
Left Las Vegas: Thanksgiving Day 1970, exactly four years after arriving, for the Bahamas; he never returned
Other Nevada purchases: KLAS Channel 8, Spring Mountain Ranch, and land in the northwest valley that later became Summerlin
Where to see his legacy today: Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, The Mob Museum's Open City gallery, and Summerlin

About

Howard Hughes was already famous as an aviator, film producer and industrialist when he arrived in Las Vegas in the pre-dawn hours of November 27, 1966. Newly rich from the roughly $500 million sale of his TWA shares, he was carried on a stretcher to a suite at the Desert Inn. When executive Moe Dalitz told him to leave, Hughes bought the hotel instead, paying $13.2 million and taking over on March 31, 1967.

That purchase began an unprecedented buying spree. In 1967 he bought the Sands, the Castaways and the Frontier; in 1968 the Silver Slipper and the Landmark. A deal for the Stardust fell through after federal antitrust objections. By the late 1960s Hughes was Nevada's largest single property owner, controlling almost 2,000 hotel rooms, about a fifth of the Strip's rooms. Governor Paul Laxalt encouraged the purchases, and Hughes became the only licensee who never had to appear in person before Nevada gaming regulators.

He ran this empire without leaving his suite. Hughes worked through a small group of aides; his top aide, Robert Maheu, dealt with him only by phone or written notes for years. He bought KLAS Channel 8, reportedly so it would show movies through the night, and bought Spring Mountain Ranch, west of the city, hoping his wife Jean Peters would move to Las Vegas. She never did. On Thanksgiving Day 1970 he was carried out on a stretcher and flown to the Bahamas, and he never returned.

Historians credit Hughes with changing how the country saw Las Vegas. Several of his purchases ended long periods of hidden mob ownership, and his presence lent the casino business a respectability that encouraged public corporations to invest. PBS notes, though, that many existing managers kept their jobs and that heavy skimming continued under his ownership. His Nevada land holdings later became the master-planned community of Summerlin.

What to expect

None of Hughes's Strip casinos survive in their original form; the Desert Inn, where he lived, was later imploded to make way for Wynn Las Vegas. The most tangible Hughes site a visitor can tour is Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, next to Red Rock Canyon, which lists him among its past owners. Visitors can explore the ranch house and some of the oldest buildings in Nevada, though the Review-Journal notes Hughes probably never visited.

The Mob Museum's Open City gallery covers his role in buying casinos, most of them from mob-connected owners, and the Summerlin community in the western valley grew out of land he acquired.

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Good to know

Hughes never left his Desert Inn suite during his four years in Las Vegas, according to the Online Nevada Encyclopedia.
He was the only Nevada gaming licensee never required to appear personally before the Gaming Control Board or Gaming Commission.
His attempt to buy a seventh Strip casino, the Stardust, was stopped over federal antitrust concerns.
PBS reports that in under four years an estimated $50 million was skimmed from his casinos' profits by holdover staff.
Hughes bought Spring Mountain Ranch, about 20 miles west of Las Vegas, from heiress Vera Krupp; it is now a Nevada state park.
His birthplace is given differently by different sources: the Online Nevada Encyclopedia says Dallas, PBS says Houston.

Questions about Howard Hughes

Why did Howard Hughes move to Las Vegas?

After receiving close to $500 million for his shares in TWA, Hughes wanted to avoid California taxes on the windfall and, in his words, "be a big fish in a small pond." He arrived secretly by private train on Thanksgiving 1966 and moved into the Desert Inn. He intended to become the largest single property owner in Las Vegas, and within two years he largely had.

Why did Howard Hughes buy the Desert Inn?

He was asked to leave. Hughes moved into a Desert Inn suite in November 1966 for what was meant to be a short stay. When executive Moe Dalitz told him to vacate, Hughes offered to buy the hotel instead. Dalitz quoted an inflated $13.2 million, Hughes accepted, and he took over on March 31, 1967.

Which Las Vegas casinos did Howard Hughes own?

In Las Vegas he bought the Desert Inn, the Sands, the Castaways and the Frontier in 1967, and the Silver Slipper and the Landmark in 1968. He also bought Harolds Club in Reno. His deal for the Stardust fell through. At his peak he controlled almost 2,000 hotel rooms, about 20 percent of the rooms on the Strip.

Did Howard Hughes drive the mob out of Las Vegas?

Partly. Several of his purchases ended decades of hidden mob ownership, and his famous name made casinos look respectable to Wall Street, which opened the door to corporate ownership. But PBS notes that many existing managers with syndicate ties kept their jobs and continued skimming. Historians credit him with changing the city's image rather than single-handedly ending organized crime there.

How long did Howard Hughes live in Las Vegas?

Exactly four years. Hughes arrived on Thanksgiving 1966 and left on Thanksgiving Day 1970, carried out on a stretcher and flown to the Bahamas. During that time he never left his Desert Inn suite, running his businesses through a small circle of aides. He later talked about returning to oversee his hotels but never did, and he died in April 1976.

Can you visit anything connected to Howard Hughes in Las Vegas?

Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, next to Red Rock Canyon, lists Hughes among its past owners; he bought it from heiress Vera Krupp, though the Review-Journal says he probably never visited. The Mob Museum covers his casino purchases, and Summerlin was built on land he acquired. The Desert Inn itself was demolished and Wynn Las Vegas now stands on the site.