Abstract
The Claudine Williams Papers (1956-2009) contain awards, contracts, personal and business correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs pertaining to Las Vegas, Nevada businesswoman and philanthropist, Claudine Williams. The collection also includes extensive information on her hotel and gaming properties, including the Silver Slipper Gambling Hall, Holiday Casino, and Harrah's Hotel and Casino, as well as her honorary doctoral degree, medals, and audiovisual materials of interviews, news reports, and events.
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Scope and Contents Note
The Claudine Williams Papers (1956-2009) contain awards, contracts, personal and business correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs pertaining to Las Vegas, Nevada businesswoman and philanthropist, Claudine Williams. The collection also includes extensive information on her hotel and gaming properties, including the Silver Slipper Gambling Hall, Holiday Casino, and Harrah's Hotel and Casino, as well as her honorary doctoral degree, medals, and audiovisual materials of interviews, news reports, and events.
Access Note
Collection is open for research with the exception of some materials, which are closed in accordance with Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 463.120 and to protect personally identifiable information. Restrictions are noted at the file level of this inventory, and some will be open for research use January 1, 2069.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into four series:
I. Personal papers, 1956-2009;
II. Civic and community activity papers and photographs, 1967, 1978-2005;
III. Hotel and casino property records, 1961-2004;
IV. Audiovisual materials, 1982-2007.
Biographical / Historical Note
Claudine Barbara Williams was born on March 17, 1921 in Mansfield, Louisiana. Her family later moved to Dallas, Texas, where at the age of fifteen she began working at a casino nightclub operated by Benny Binion. At the age of twenty-one, Williams bought a Houston steakhouse and casino, paid back the loan ahead of schedule, and used the profits to launch her business empire.
In the 1940s, Claudine met her future husband, Shelby Williams. They were married on February 19, 1950 and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1964. They purchased the Silver Slipper Casino, which they operated until 1969, when they sold it to Howard Hughes. The couple took over the River Queen Casino 1973, renaming it the Holiday Casino. After Shelby’s death in 1977, Claudine became the first woman casino president and general manager in Nevada gaming history. In 1983, the Holiday Inn Corporation acquired full ownership of the casino and hotel, as well as its subsidiary, Harrah's. Harrah's Entertainment, no longer a subsidiary of Holiday Inn, took over the property in 1992.
Claudine, along with several others, created the American Bank of Commerce. She became the first woman in Nevada history to chair a bank’s board of directors. She also served on several government, business, and charity boards throughout her lifetime. In 1989, she helped establish a scholarship fund in her husband's name at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) College of Hotel Administration. She also personally donated funds to UNLV for a dormitory construction project. To honor Claudine, UNLV named the residence hall after her, and in 1994, UNLV bestowed an honorary doctoral degree upon her.
Claudine Williams passed away on May 13, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sources:
“Claudine Williams.” Women in Nevada History. Accessed March 12, 2019. https://womennvhistory.com/portfolio/claudine-williams/
“Casino Owner, Philanthropist Claudine Williams dies at 88.”
"Dreaming the Skyline. Holiday/Harrah's." UNLV University Libraries. Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2019. https://digital.library.unlv.edu/skyline/hotel/holidayharrahs
Preferred Citation
Claudine Williams Papers, 1956-2009. MS-00094. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Material was donated in 2007 and 2009 by the Claudine Williams estate; accession numbers 2007-09 and 2009-19.
Processing Note
Material was partially processed by Wendy Halford in 2010 and completed by Joyce Moore in 2014. In 2017, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Joyce Moore revised and enhanced the collection description and entered the data into and ArchivesSpace. In 2019, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Christina Lamoureux rehoused part of the collection and revised the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards. In 2024, Tammi Kim and Sarah Jones updated the finding aid to include digital files transferred off of legacy media by patron request.