Kemmons Wilson (January 5, 1913 – February 12, 2003) was the founder of the Holiday Inn chain of hotels.

He was born Charles Kemmons Wilson in Osceola, Arkansas, a son of Kemmons and Ruby "Doll" Wilson. His father was an insurance salesman who died when Kemmons was nine months old. Shortly thereafter, his mother, Doll, moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she raised him.

He opened the first Holiday Inn motel in Memphis in 1952, and quickly added others to create an entire hotel chain. Holiday Inn went international in 1960.

Wilson was married to Dorothy Lee.

His autobiography, Half Luck and Half Brains, tells the story of the Holiday Inn.

Kemmons Wilson died in Memphis and is interred in Forest Hill Cemetery - Midtown in Memphis, Tennessee.

External links

The late Kemmons Wilson's personal Page

See also

Conrad Hilton