William R. Wilkerson

William Richard "Billy" Wilkerson (September 29, 1890 – September 2, 1962) was the founder of the Hollywood Reporter,^[1] the Flamingo Hotel^[2] and owner of such nightclubs as Ciro's. He was also responsible for discovering actress Lana Turner across the street from Hollywood High School.^[3]

Personal life

Wilkerson had been in relatively poor health throughout the latter half of the 1950s due to decades of excessive smoking. He continued to head The Hollywood Reporter and write his daily Tradeviews column until his death. Wilkerson died of a heart attack on September 2, 1962, at his Bel-Air home, one day before the Hollywood Reporter′s 32nd anniversary. He is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Wilkerson was married six times. His wives were:

• Helen Durkin - probably around 1913 or 1914 - probably New York or Fort Lee, New Jersey - Durkin died in the Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918.
• Edith Gwynn Goldenhorn - June 22, 1927 - Los Angeles, CA - August 7, 1935 - Cd. Juárez, Mexico
• Rita Ann Seward - September 30, 1935 - Las Vegas - May 9, 1938 - Los Angeles, CA
• Estelle Jackson Brown - December 12, 1939 - Las Vegas, NV - August 13, 1942 - Reno, NV
• Vivian DuBois - May 9, 1946 - Las Vegas, NV - March 14, 1950 - Los Angeles, CA
• Beatrice Ruby Noble - February 23, 1951 - Phoenix, AZ - His death

Career

Partial payment to Margret Folsom for the Flamingo land signed by William R Wilkerson, March 5, 1945

Restaurants, nightclubs and hotels that Wilkerson started:

• Vendome Wine & Spirits Co. (1933)
• Cafe Trocadero (1934)
• Sunset House (1936) (haberdashery & barbershop)
• The Arrowhead Springs Hotel (1939)
• Ciro's (1940)
• LaRue (of Hollywood) (1943?)
• The Flamingo Hotel (1945)
• L'Aiglon (1947)
• LaRue (of Las Vegas) (1950)

References

Further reading

• The Man Who Invented Las Vegas by W.R. Wilkerson III (Ciro's Books Publishing, 2000 ISBN 0-9676643-0-6)

External links

• William Wilkerson at Find A Grave
• Early Vegas
• Vegas and the Mob