Larry Hillblom
Larry Lee Hillblom | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Kingsburg, California, U.S. |
| Died | May 21, 1995 (aged 52) |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Co-founder of DHL |
Larry Lee Hillblom (May 12, 1943 – May 21, 1995) was an American entrepreneur and one of the founders of the international shipping firm DHL, established alongside Adrian Dalsey and Robert Lynn. After his disappearance in 1995, his estate disbursed $360 million to four children he fathered during travels throughout Southeast Asia.
Early life and education
Hillblom was born in Kingsburg, California and completed his early education locally before obtaining a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law. He briefly served as a clerk for the San Francisco lawyer Melvin Belli.
Company history
In 1969, Hillblom recognized an opportunity when faster container vessels introduced by Matson Navigation Co. to Hawaii surpassed the U.S. Postal Service’s document delivery speed. He organized a system where airline passengers carried shipping documents as excess baggage to ensure prompt arrival. This approach attracted other Hawaiian businesses with urgent documentation needs.
That year marked the founding of DHL by Hillblom and his partners, which grew into a leading global air courier service, significantly enhancing his financial standing. During the 1980s, he moved to Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, where he initiated numerous enterprises and development ventures across Hawaii, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Life in Asia
Hillblom invested approximately US$40 million in Vietnam to renovate the Dalat Palace Hotel and its golf course, along with additional properties such as Novotel Dalat, Novotel Phan Thiet, Ocean Dunes Golf Course, and Riverside Apartments near Ho Chi Minh City. These acquisitions were conducted through an offshore holding company to circumvent the American embargo on Vietnam. The Dalat Palace Hotel reopened in 1995 under joint management by Hillblom and Vietnamese partners, with Accor overseeing operations.
1993 plane crash
In 1993, Hillblom suffered severe injuries requiring facial reconstructive surgery after his vintage aircraft crashed near Saipan.
Disappearance
An aviation enthusiast, Hillblom vanished when his seaplane went down on May 21, 1995, en route from Pagan Island to Saipan. While the pilot and a business associate’s remains were recovered, Hillblom’s body was never located. Only about one-quarter of the aircraft was retrieved.
Paternity controversy
Hillblom’s 1982 will bequeathed his estate to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), omitting any mention of children or clauses excluding heirs, which led to legal challenges. Under CNMI legislation, offspring born after a will’s creation are entitled to claim inheritance rights. Numerous women from Southeast Asia and Oceania asserted that Hillblom fathered children with them; some allegations included statutory rape.
The initial claim came from Kaylani Kinney on behalf of her son Larry Hillblom Jr., supported by attorneys David J. Lujan and Barry Israel. Due to Hillblom’s missing remains, DNA testing was initially unfeasible. Investigations revealed that his residence in Saipan had been meticulously cleaned of potential DNA traces. UCSF provided a removed facial mole for analysis; however, it did not belong to Hillblom.
Although Hillblom’s family initially declined DNA testing, a court order eventually mandated their participation. Genetic testing confirmed four out of eight claimants as biological children of Hillblom.
The legally acknowledged heirs were Lory Nguyen (Vietnam), Jellian Cuartero and Mercedita Feliciano (Philippines), along with Larry Hillbroom Jr. (Palau). Each received roughly US$50 million after deductions for taxes and fees from the estate, while US$240 million was allocated to establish the Hillblom Foundation supporting UCSF medical research.
Legacy
The documentary Shadow Billionaire, directed by Alexis Spraic, explores the disputes that arose after Hillblom's passing and was first shown at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.
See also
External links
- 1943 births
- 1995 deaths
- 1990s missing person cases
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- American transportation businesspeople
- American billionaires
- Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
- DHL
- Northern Mariana Islands businesspeople
- People declared dead in absentia
- People from Kingsburg, California
- People who died at sea
- UC Berkeley School of Law alumni
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1995
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the Northern Mariana Islands