Billionaire, philanthropist, and major conservative activist David H. Koch, donor of hundreds of millions of dollars to GOP candidates and causes, passed away on August 23rd. He was 79.
Mr. Koch’s elder brother Charles did not specify the cause of death but referenced his brother’s nearly thirty-year struggle with prostate cancer. ‘Declining health’ forced him to step down from his position as vice president of Koch Industries in 2018. “David’s guidance and loyalty, especially in Koch Industries’ most troubled times, was unwavering,” Charles Koch said in an announcement upon his brother’s retirement. “David never wanted anything for himself that he hadn’t earned, as his sole desire was to contribute. He was always dedicated to the long-term success of the company.”
After inheriting the oil refinery from their father, the brothers transformed Koch Industries into an international energy and chemical corporation, the United States’ second-largest private company with an annual income of $110 billion and 121,106 worldwide jobs.
At the time of his death, David Koch was worth approximately $50 billion.
Mr. Koch first entered the political scene in 1980, on the Libertarian ticket as its vice presidential nominee. The party managed to earn a little over one percent of the vote, which according to Koch Newsroom, was the party’s best showing until 2016. He is credited with transforming American politics by fighting initiatives regarding Obamacare, climate change and business regulation, funding organizations that work toward lower taxes and free market ideals, and spurring on the Tea Party movement in the early 2000s.
The Koch brothers openly supported and based their goals upon “economic freedom” and “liberty”, and believed, as Charles Koch stated, that former President Obama’s plan was one that threatened to “erode our economic freedom”, an “internal assault on our founding principles.” In turn, they built a massive network of the biggest conservative donors who thought likewise.
The network would sponsor organizations that mobilize voters and elected officials toward Libertarian- and conservative-leaning policies, causes, and candidates at state and national levels. They even pushed to bring conservative voices and an anti-socialist environment back to college campuses.
Despite such resistance during former President Obama’s administration, the Koch network did not openly bankroll or advocate for Donald Trump in his candidacy in 2016, as it disagreed with some of his policies.
During his lifetime, Mr. Koch donated nearly $1 billion to medical research, centers of culture and of the arts, and colleges and universities. The Smithsonian, Lincoln Center, American Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the 9/11 Memorial Museum have all received major contributions in his name.
Mr. Koch attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering, and donated millions to his alma mater as well.
Rich Fink, who co-founded the minimal government, pro-tax cut nonprofit organization called Americans for Prosperity alongside Mr. Koch, praised the late billionaire’s ‘“tremendous thirst for knowledge,” generosity, integrity, and “passion for freedom”’, according to Koch Industries. ‘“If you understand those four things, I think you could understand David Koch.”’
David Koch is survived by a wife and three children, as well as his brother Charles and a legacy of philanthropy and patriotism.
(cover image © Erin Leone//photos: Dia Dipasupil & Libertarian Party)
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