Howard Hughes' Las Vegas Legacy

"Howard Hughes was able to afford the luxury of madness, like a man who not only thinks he is Napoleon but hires an army to prove it." - Ted Morgan

Oct. 19, 2007

By Leah Bailly
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

Las Vegas loves its quirky billionaires. It seems every decade, a new magnate sweeps into town toting hefty bank accounts and lofty ambitions, only to reinvent his financial identity in this burgeoning desert city. The Strip is synonymous with folklore of gangsters, traders and financiers rolling the dice on real estate and high stakes gaming deals. With a history steeped in crime, intrigue and high-rollers, no other city has been shaped so absolutely by such eccentric personas. And, none were as influential or as peculiar as the notorious Howard Hughes. 

It was Thanksgiving of 1966 in a Las Vegas suffering from a real estate slump and a momentary lapse in glamour when a private train from Boston arrived at 4 a.m., shrouded in secrecy. Howard Hughes, withered and emaciated, was transported by stretcher and unmarked van to his new home at the Desert Inn. Much to the management's dismay, Hughes occupied the top two floors with ample space for his scores of personal staff. His entourage of Mormon aides occupied every adjoining room, in what would be his secluded hideout and the Hughes Company's headquarters for the next four years. 

From his suites in the Desert Inn, Hughes would become the largest casino owner, largest property owner and largest private property owner in the state of Nevada. His exploits included thousands of mineral and mining claims, airports and television stations. His donations lead to the creation of the Nevada College system and served to influence policy makers. Remarkably, despite his enormous influence over the region, not once in those four years did Hughes ever set foot outside his hotel room. 

The Face of the American Dream

Orphan, entrepreneur and socialite, the young Howard Hughes was the picture of American enterprise. After prosperous ventures in drilling, Hughes plunged into the glamour of Hollywood, directing and producing some of the era's best knows films. Tall, striking and dangerous, Hughes was often spotted at Las Vegas casinos flanked by such stars as Jean Harlow and Katherine Hepburn. Before long, aviation consumed Hughes, and he diversified his corporate interests into aircraft, airlines and, eventually, defense contracts. 

Howard Hughes: Entrepreneur and daredevil pilot. (AP Images)

For Hughes, however, investment wasn't enough. Soon, a daredevil pilot and world record breaker, Hughes became truly fanatical, insisting he test each unpredictable aircraft personally. But all would, literally, come crashing down. In 1946, while testing a photo surveillance plane over Beverly Hills, Calif., Hughes lost control of the aircraft and plummeted several thousand feet. Nearly every bone was shattered. The prognosis was doubtful for the young billionaire, who suffered intense pain from fractured disks near his spine. His recovery was aided by intense morphine doses and expensive physicians, both of which would become grave dependencies for the rest of his life. 

By the time he relocated to Las Vegas in 1966, Hughes had fallen into a deep drug-induced isolation. His addiction to opiates had reduced his 6-foot-4-inch frame to a mere 120 pounds. Gray hair trailed down his back, his fingernails curled and his teeth rotted. He depended heavily on his staff of Mormon aides to govern his now giant enterprise, despite his incredulous and often impossible requests. No one was permitted to enter his room. His second wife, then estranged, was only permitted to contact him by phone. 

Despite his neurotic behavior, with the assistance of his chief aides, Robert Maheu and Bill Gay, Howard Hughes still managed a real estate coup in Las Vegas that has yet to be paralleled. As the owners of the Desert Inn struggled to remove Hughes from their premier suites, Hughes countered their complaints with an offer. By the following spring, Hughes became the sole owner of the Desert Inn for a cool $13.2 million.   

Nevada state officials couldn't have been more pleased that a non-mobster had decided to invest and for the first time, allowed Hughes' aides to apply for the gaming license for him. Gangsters had a hold on many casinos throughout the 1960s, and the Nevada Gaming Commission was eager to replace the criminal element with a more corporate identity. This precedent essentially allowed corporations to acquire gaming licenses without the cumbersome background checks and individual appearances required in the past. 

Leaving a Las Vegas Legacy

Vegas wanted to change, and Hughes was in the ideal place at the perfect time. Rich off the sale of Trans World Airline and a robust $500 million in his accounts waiting to be taxed, Hughes decided "active" investment would save him a world of IRS trouble. His next Strip purchase was the Sands, followed by Castaways, the Silver Slipper and the Frontier. Each hotel was bordered by enormous tracts of unused land, all of which Hughes insisted would pay off in future development. Enduring continuous bouts of paranoia and insomnia, he purchased the local CBS affiliate television station, insisting they play late night movies suited to Hughes' tastes.

Hughes went from guest to owner of the Desert Inn. (AP Images)

However, his neurosis increased as his empire grew. He lived in total isolation, collecting his own waste in jars and refusing entry for any Desert Inn housekeeping staff. Terrified of germs, Hughes would rarely bathe and, instead, would remain naked, occasionally swabbing himself with rubbing alcohol. His aides started dumping money into political campaigns, requiring politicians to comply with Hughes’ personal beliefs. He demanded the state outlaw dog racing and rock concerts. Deeply afrophobic, Hughes was opposed to racial integration at Clark County schools. But, nothing would affect Hughes as profoundly as Nevada's nuclear testing, which Hughes insisted would cause radiation damage to his already fragile health. 

On Thanksgiving Day, exactly four years after his arrival in Las Vegas, Hughes was mysteriously carted out of the Desert Inn and whisked away on a flight to the Bahamas, never to return to America again. He would die six years later, suffering from failed kidneys and collapsed veins. He left no will. Vegas, however, was truly marked by his legacy. In an economic culture consumed by the empire of the wacky billionaire, none fit the mold better than Howard Hughes. Who else could govern a city and never set foot on its streets? Who else could influence gaming culture so profoundly and never stroll through a casino? And, how long would it be before the next deranged billionaire arrived to reshape our fate? Lucky for Vegas, we didn't have to wait long. 

TOP PHOTO: Howard Hughes. (AP Images)