Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes, who had already conquered much of the US by the 1960’s
saw the promise and potential Vegas held, and for a period of time in
the 1960’s, actually tried to buy up the town. A billionaire at a
time when there were only a handful of millionaires, Hughes owned no
fewer than six casinos in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. This collection included the Desert Inn – where he lived in seclusion – and the Landmark. His purchases were only stopped by government fears that Hughes was out to monopolize the hotel rooms in Las Vegas.

Hughes’s influence remains to this day, as his companies still own
thousands of acres in the Las Vegas valley. The area once known as
Husite is actually named after Hughes’s grandmother, whose name was
Summerlin.