Mildred Hilson; Noted Fund-Raiser

Mildred Hilson, 96, who raised millions of dollars for charities, museums and the Republican Party. After the 1952 death of her husband, investment banker Edwin I. Hilson, Mrs. Hilson took his place on the board of New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery and was later named its vice president, a title she held for the rest of her life. Over the years, she raised $15 million for the hospital. She also sat on the boards of the Museum of the City of New York and the New York City Cultural Council and advised Mayor John Lindsay on cultural affairs in the 1960s. She was a friend of several Republican presidents, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower painted a portrait of her that she kept in her study. President Richard Nixon once played the piano and led guests in song at her birthday party, and President George Bush visited her home while he was President. On Saturday in New York City.