John Kell “J.K.” Houssels Jr., one of the pioneers of modern-day Las Vegas, was remembered as both an innovator and a champion of traditional values following his death earlier this month at the age of 94.
Houssels, who worked under his father to usher the Tropicana out of the mob era and later brought the Showboat brand to Atlantic City, “had values and lived by those values,” his son James O. Houssels said. “My dad represents the last of the Mohicans in that regard.”
He described his father as a man who hated contracts and preferred “a handshake and a stern look in the eyes” as a negotiating technique. The Showboat, for example, was sold on a handshake deal, he said.
An avid horse racing enthusiast who attended every Del Mar Thoroughbred Club event from its opening in 1937 to 2016, Houssels also was widely respected for his philanthropic work and his patronage of the arts?mostly in partnership with his wife of 47 years, Nancy, who helped bring the ballet to Nevada and supported The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
“Together they worked to make this a more cosmopolitan city,” UNLV history Professor Michael Green said. “They were a dynamic, formidable duo.”
“To me, he was captivating,” Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said. “He was very much a substantive man.”
Houssels came to Las Vegas from Denver with his family at the age of 8. His father and namesake received one of the city’s first gambling licenses and converted a Downtown tobacco shop into the Las Vegas Club.
Houssels attended Stanford University and later West Point and after World War II graduated from Stanford with a law degree. He served as an assistant district attorney in Las Vegas and a Nevada state assemblyman before joining the Tropicana, where his father was president and principal owner. Together they were credited with tackling corruption and organized crime influence at the property.
It was at the Tropicana that Houssels made a deal for the French cabaret show, Folies Bergere, which would become the longest-running show on the Strip.
“One of his legacies is knowing how to find a niche. He had the wisdom to be different,” Green said.
The Folies Bergere also proved a boon to Houssels personally. It was how he met his wife, who was a dancer with the revue.
Houssels later served as an executive vice president at the Union Plaza, and in 1980, became president and vice chairman of Showboat Inc., overseeing the company’s expansion into Atlantic City and the landing of a partnership deal for the Star City Casino in Sydney, Australia.
He was Showboat chairman until 1998, when the company was sold to Harrah’s, now Caesars Entertainment.
