Charles Koch

American billionaire and businessman

Charles Koch

Koch in 2019

Born|

Charles de Ganahl Koch

(1935-11-01) November 1, 1935 (age 89)

Wichita, Kansas, U.S.

Education| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, MS, MS)
Occupation| Businessman
Employer| Koch Industries
Title| Chairman and CEO of Koch Industries
Political party| Libertarian
Spouse|

Liz Koch

(m. 1972)​

[1]
Children|

* Chase Koch[2]
* Elizabeth Koch[3]

Parents|

* Fred C. Koch
* Mary Robinson

Relatives|

* Frederick R. Koch (brother)
* David Koch (brother)
* Bill Koch (brother)

Signature
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Charles de Ganahl Koch (/koʊk/ KOHK; born November 1, 1935) is an American billionaire businessman. As of February 2024, he was ranked as the 23rd richest man in the world on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with an estimated net worth of $64.9 billion.[4] Koch has been co-owner, chairman, and chief executive officer of Koch Industries since 1967, while his late brother David Koch served as executive vice president. Charles and David each owned 42% of the conglomerate. The brothers inherited the business from their father, Fred C. Koch, then expanded the business.[5] Koch Industries is the largest privately held company by revenue in the United States, according to Forbes.[6]

Koch also supports a number of libertarian think tanks, including the Institute for Humane Studies, the Cato Institute, the Ayn Rand Institute,[7] and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He also contributes to the Republican Party and candidates, libertarian groups, and various charitable and cultural institutions. He co-founded the Washington, D.C.–based Cato Institute. Along with his brother, Koch has been an important funder of think tanks that lobby to oppose environmental regulation. Koch has published four books detailing his business philosophy, Market Based Management (2006),[8] The Science of Success (2007),[9] Good Profit (2015),[10] and Believe in People (2020).[11]

## Early life and education

[edit]

Koch was born and lives in Wichita, Kansas, one of four sons of Clementine Mary (née Robinson) and Fred Chase Koch.[12][13] Koch's grandfather, Harry Koch, was a Dutch immigrant who settled in West Texas, founded the Quanah Tribune-Chief newspaper, and was a founding shareholder of Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railway.[14] Among his maternal great-great-grandparents were William Ingraham Kip, an Episcopal bishop, and Elizabeth Clementine Stedman, a writer.

In an interview with Warren Cassell Jr., which was recorded in February 2016, Koch stated that as a child he did not live a privileged lifestyle despite growing up in a wealthy family. Koch said, "My father wanted me to work as if I was the poorest person in the world."[15] After attending several private high schools,[16] Koch was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.[17] He received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in general engineering in 1957, a Master of Science (M.S.) in nuclear engineering in 1958, and a second M.S. in chemical engineering in 1959.[18] His focus was on ways to refine oil.

After college, Koch started work at Arthur D. Little, Inc.[19]

## Career

[edit]

In 1961 he moved back to Wichita to join his father's business, Rock Island Oil & Refining Company (now known as Koch Industries).[20] In 1967, he became president of the business, which was then a medium-sized oil firm.[21] In the same year, he renamed the firm Koch Industries in honor of his father.[22] Charles's brothers Frederick and Bill had inherited stock in Koch Industries. In June 1983, after a legal and boardroom battle, the stakes of Frederick and Bill were bought out for $1.1 billion and Charles and his younger brother David became majority owners in the company.[23] Despite the settlement, legal disputes continued until May 2001, when CBS News reported that Koch Industries settled for $25 million.[24]

In 2006, Koch Industries generated $90 billion in revenue, a growth of 2000 times over, which represents an annual compounded return of 18%.[25] As of 2014[update], Koch was worth approximately US$41.3[26] billion (in 2013 $36 billion) according to the Forbes 400 list.[12] Koch would routinely work 12-hour days at the office (and then spent more time working at home), weekends, and expected executives at Koch Industries to work weekends as well.[27][28]

Koch has been a director of INTRUST Financial Corp. since 1982[29] and director of Koch Industries Inc. since 1982. He is director of resin and fiber company Invista and director of Georgia-Pacific LLC, paper and pulp products. Koch founded or helped found several organizations, including the Cato Institute, the Institute for Humane Studies and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, the Bill of Rights Institute, and the Market-Based Management Institute. He is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society.[30]

## Political and economic views

[edit]

Charles Koch describes himself as a classical liberal and has formerly identified as a libertarian.[31] He is opposed to corporate welfare[32] and told the National Journal that his "overall concept is to minimize the role of government and to maximize the role of private economy and to maximize personal freedoms."[33] He has expressed concern about too much government regulation in the U.S., stating that "we could be facing the greatest loss of liberty and prosperity since the 1930s."[34] In addition, he has warned that drastic government overspending and a decline of the free enterprise system will prove detrimental to long-term social and economic prosperity.[35]

According to Stephen Moore, influences on Koch include Alexis de Tocqueville,[36] Adam Smith, Michael Polanyi,[20] Joseph Schumpeter, Julian Simon, Paul Johnson, Thomas Sowell, Charles Murray, Leonard Read, and F. A. Harper.[21] The presidents he most admires include George Washington, Grover Cleveland, and Calvin Coolidge. In an interview with the American Journal of Business, Koch said he owes "a huge debt of gratitude to the giants who created the Austrian School [of economics]. They developed principles that enabled me to gain an understanding of how the world works, and these ideas were a catalyst in the development of Market-Based Management." In particular, he expresses admiration for Ludwig von Mises' book Human Action, as well as the writings of Friedrich Hayek.[20] Koch said "the short-term infatuation with quarterly earnings on Wall Street restricts the earnings potential of Fortune 500 publicly traded firms."[21] He also considers public firms to be "feeding grounds for lawyers and lawsuits," with regulations like Sarbanes–Oxley only increasing the earnings potential of privately held companies.[21]

Koch disdains "big government" and the "political class."[21] He believes billionaires Warren Buffett and George Soros, who fund organizations with different ideologies, "simply haven't been sufficiently exposed to the ideas of liberty."[21] Koch claimed "prosperity is under attack" by the Obama administration and sought to warn "of policies that threaten to erode our economic freedom and transfer vast sums of money to the state."[37]

Koch supports cannabis legalization. As of 2021, Koch is "actively funding efforts to end federal marijuana prohibition."[38]

In an April 2011 Wall Street Journal op-ed, Koch wrote:

> Government spending on business only aggravates the problem. Too many businesses have successfully lobbied for special favors and treatment by seeking mandates for their products, subsidies (in the form of cash payments from the government), and regulations and tariffs to keep more efficient competitors at bay. Crony capitalism is much easier than competing in an open market. But it erodes our overall standard of living and stifles entrepreneurs by rewarding the politically favored rather than those who provide what consumers want.[39]

His opposition to corporate welfare includes lobbying for the end to ethanol subsidies even though Koch Industries is a major ethanol producer. He is quoted as saying: "The first thing we've got to get rid of is business welfare and entitlements."[40]

In an April 2014 Wall Street Journal op-ed, Koch wrote, "the fundamental concepts of dignity, respect, equality before the law and personal freedom are under attack by the nation's own government." He criticized the Obama administration, saying that its "central belief and fatal conceit" is that people are not capable of running their own lives. "This is the essence of big government and collectivism," he wrote. He cited the "current health care debacle" as an example of disastrous government control. He complained that he had been the victim of "character assassination."[41][42]

### Market-based management

[edit]

Koch's business philosophy, "market-based management" (MBM), is described in his 2007 book The Science of Success. In an interview with the Wichita Eagle,[22] he said that he was motivated to write the book by Koch Industries' 2004 acquisition of Invista so he could give new employees a "comprehensive picture" of MBM. According to the website of the Market-Based Management Institute, which Koch founded in 2005, MBM is "based on rules of just conduct, economic thinking, and sound mental models", harnessing the dispersed knowledge of employees just as markets harness knowledge in society. "It is organized in and interpreted through five dimensions: vision, virtue and talents, decision rights, incentives, and knowledge processes."[43] In the book, Koch attempts to apply Friedrich Hayek's spontaneous order theory and Austrian entrepreneurial theory, such as that of Mises and Israel Kirzner, to organizational management.[40][44]

## Political activities and philanthropy

[edit]

See also: Political activities of the Koch brothers

### Libertarianism

[edit]

Koch funds and supports libertarian and free-enterprise policy and advocacy organizations.[37] Two works that have been especially influential upon Koch's philosophy are Ludwig Von Mises' Human Action and F. A. Harper's Why Wages Rise. After reading Harper's book, Koch became involved with Harper's Institute for Humane Studies, of which he became a principal supporter. He has been on the board of IHS since 1966. Since the 1980s, IHS has been increasingly interested in aiding the careers of aspiring educators, journalists, and policy professionals with an interest in classical liberal thought. Among other projects, the IHS runs the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program, which "has supported more than 900 students during eight-week internships at public policy organizations, both in D.C. and around the country."[45] In addition, almost 200 institutions of higher education in the U.S. are funded by the Charles G. Koch Foundation. What all the Koch-funded programs have in common is an interest in studying free societies with an eye to understanding the mechanisms behind the assumption that economic freedom benefits humanity.[45]

In 1977 he co-founded the Cato Institute with Edward H. Crane and Murray Rothbard.[46]

In 2008, Koch was included in Businessweek's list of top 50 American givers. Between 2004 and 2008, Koch gave $246 million, focusing on "libertarian causes, giving money for academic and public policy research and social welfare."[47] Koch was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from George Mason University in recognition of his financial support "through scholarships, faculty recruitment, and research grants".[48]

In June 2019, the Charles Koch Foundation announced the foundation of anti-war think tank Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, cosponsored by George Soros' Open Society Foundations.[49] He is a board member at the Mercatus Center, a market-oriented research think tank at George Mason University.[50]

Koch's philanthropic activities have focused on research, policy, and educational projects intended to advance free-market views. He has underwritten scholarships and financed the research of economists such as James Buchanan[51] and Friedrich Hayek. He has also "supported efforts to inspire at-risk young people to consider entrepreneurship, to teach American students the principles of limited government, and to connect recent graduates with market-oriented organizations, in an effort to launch their careers in public policy."[45] Koch has given money to support public policy research focused on "developing voluntary, market-based solutions to social problems."[52] He has given to the Bill of Rights Institute, a non-profit group that educates teachers, students, and others about the Bill of Rights.[52][53] He has also given to the Youth Entrepreneurs, an organization that teaches business skills to at-risk youth in Kansas schools.[54]

### Climate change

[edit]

Koch acknowledges anthropogenic climate change, but opposes top-down government regulation as a solution. Rather, he favors bottom-up technological innovation from private entities, saying they can lower emissions while improving efficiency and lowering costs.[55]

He has heavily funded organizations and politicians who oppose environmental regulations.[56][57][58][59] A leaked 2012 fundraising plan indicated that the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation contributed $25,000 in 2011 to the Heartland Institute, an American conservative and libertarian public policy think tank.[60][61][62] Koch has also supported the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature project, a scientific effort to compile an open database of the Earth's surface temperature records.[63]

The Pacific Legal Foundation, funded by Koch, has litigated against increased environmental regulation.[64][65] The American Enterprise Institute received $2.1 million over two decades from the Charles Koch Foundation for its climate change denialist activities.[64][65] Together with ExxonMobil's, Koch's wealth was also supplied to the Independent Institute, another think-tank known for lobby in favor of climate change denial.[64][65] Koch has also given money to the American Institute for Economic Research, a right-wing libertarian think tank which also lobbies against climate science.[64][65] Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity has fought efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon emissions.[66] The Republican Trump administration adopted environmental policies similar to those advocated for by Koch-funded groups.[56] Koch has backed the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the CO2 Coalition, both of which also supported former President Donald Trump’s 2017 withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.[66]

In 2022, Koch was named one of the US' top 'climate villains' by The Guardian.[67] As of 2023, his company has received awards from the EPA for three consecutive years.[68]

### COVID-19 pandemic

[edit]

Koch has also given money to the American Institute for Economic Research, the right-wing libertarian think tank which sponsored the Great Barrington Declaration.[64][65] His Charles Koch Foundation gave $68,100 in 2018.[64][65] The declaration's sponsor employed Emergent Order, a public relations firm which itself receives funding from Koch's Foundation, registered as $1.4 million between 2014 and 2019.[64][65]

### Political campaigns

[edit]

Koch supported his brother's candidacy for vice president on the Libertarian Party ticket in 1980.[69] After the bid, Koch told a reporter that conventional politics "tends to be a nasty, corrupting business ... I'm interested in advancing libertarian ideas".[69] In addition to funding think tanks, Charles and David also support libertarian academics[70] and Koch funds the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program through the Institute for Humane Studies which recruits and mentors young libertarians.[71] Koch also organizes twice yearly meetings[21] of Republican donors.[37]

Koch supported the Tea Party movement. "The way it's grown, the passion, and the intensity, was beyond what I had anticipated," he told an interviewer.[35] He funded groups opposed to Barack Obama's administration.[69]

In 2011, Koch was awarded the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership.[72] The award honors "the ideals and principles which guided William E. Simon's giving, including personal responsibility, resourcefulness, volunteerism, scholarship, individual freedom, faith in God, and helping people to help themselves."[73]

In July 2015 Charles Koch and his brother were praised by President Obama and Anthony Van Jones for their bipartisan efforts to reform the criminal justice system.[74][75] For roughly a decade Koch has been advocating for several reforms within the prison system, including the reduction of recidivist criminals, easing the employment process for rehabilitated persons, and the defense of private property from asset forfeiture.[75][76] Aligning with groups such as the ACLU, the Center for American Progress, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the Coalition for Public Safety, and the MacArthur Foundation, Koch believes the current system has unfairly targeted low-income and minority communities all while wasting substantial government resources.[75]

In February 2016, Koch penned an opinion piece in The Washington Post, where he said he agreed with presidential candidate Bernie Sanders about the unfairness of corporate welfare and mass incarceration in the United States.[77]

In 2020, Koch's Koch Industries donated $2.8 million to Republican Party causes through a political action committee. Koch Industries donated $221,000 to Democratic Party causes.[78]

On November 13, 2020, reports in several media published statements made during an interview with The Wall Street Journal by Koch about his regret that he had contributed significantly to the development of hyper-partisanship in the United States. Koch added that he intended to work with Democrats, moderate Republicans, and liberals to facilitate bipartisanship.[79][80][81]

### Sports and culture

[edit]

In 2002, Koch Industries donated $6 million to renovate the Wichita State University basketball arena. The gift was given in honor of Koch, and the arena was subsequently renamed the Charles Koch Arena.[82] Koch has continued to be a major donor to both the university and its athletic program. In December 2014, Koch Industries and the Koch family foundation donated $11.25 million to the university, the largest one-time gift in school history, with $4.5 million of that going toward a plan to renovate the arena and expand the athletic program's academic support center.[83] Several months later, when men's basketball head coach Gregg Marshall was considering an offer to become head coach at the University of Alabama, Koch led a group of local business leaders and WSU boosters that raised Marshall's annual salary from $1.85 million to $3 million and kept him at the school. The raise was seen as an unprecedented move for a school outside the Power Five conferences, and likely to make Marshall among the 10 highest-paid college basketball coaches.[84]

Through the Koch Cultural Trust, founded by Charles wife, Elizabeth, the Koch family has provided financial support to promising artists in a variety of fields. More than $1.7 million in grants have been awarded to programs and individuals with Kansas roots.[85][non-primary source needed]

## Personal life

[edit]

Koch has been married to his wife Liz since 1972.[1] He has two children, Chase Koch and Elizabeth Koch.[69][2][86] Charles and his three brothers have all suffered from prostate cancer.[87] Koch "rarely grants media interviews and prefers to keep a low profile".[22] Time magazine included Charles and David Koch among the most influential people of 2011. According to the magazine, the list includes "activists, reformers and researchers, heads of state and captains of industry." The article describes the brothers' commitment to free-market principles, the growth and development of their business, and their support for Tea Party organizations and political candidates.[5] Koch lives in Wichita, Kansas,[88] and has homes in Indian Wells, California,[89] and Aspen, Colorado.[90] Koch is irreligious.[91]

## Awards

[edit]

Koch has received various awards and honors, including:

* Honorary Doctor of Science, from George Mason University, for his continued support of the economics program at GMU[92]
* Honorary Doctor of Commerce from Washburn University[93]
* Honorary Doctor of Laws from Babson College[94]
* President's Medal from Wichita State University in 2004 [94]
* The Adam Smith Award from the American Legislative Exchange Council[94]
* The 1999 Directors' Award for Global Vision in Energy from the New York Mercantile Exchange[94]
* The 1999 Governor's Arts Patrons Award from the Kansas Arts Commission[94]
* The 2000 National Distinguished Service Award from The Tax Foundation[94]
* The Spirit of Justice Award from The Heritage Foundation[94]
* The Entrepreneurial Leadership Award from the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship[94]
* The Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews[94]
* The Distinguished Citizen Award from the Boy Scouts of America[94]
* The Free Enterprise Award from The Council for National Policy[94]
* The Herman W. Lay Memorial Award from the Association of Private Enterprise Education[94]
* The Distinguished Service Citation from the University of Kansas[94]
* Honorary Life Member in the Washburn Law School Association[94]
* The Distinguished Citizen Award from Kansas State University[94]
* Induction into the Kansas Oil and Gas Hall of Fame[94]
* Induction into the Wichita and Kansas Business Halls of Fame[94]
* Spirit of Excellence Award from The Urban League of Wichita[94]
* Outstanding Humanitarian Award from the Greater Wichita Chapter of the National Society of Fundraising Executives[94]
* Wichita City Medallion[94]
* Wichita State University Entrepreneur in Residence[94]
* Wichita District Minority Small Business Advocate of the Year[94]
* The Individual Recognition Award from the Wichita/Sedgwick County Arts and Humanities Council[94]
* The Uncommon Citizen Award from the Wichita Chamber of Commerce[94]
* The 2011 William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership from the Philanthropy Roundtable
* The 2011 Defender of Justice award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers[95]
* In 2013, AdvisoryCloud ranked him number two on their Top Chief Executive List [96]
* In 2022, Ellis Island Honors Society presented Charles Koch with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.[97]

## See also

[edit]

* Charles Koch Institute
* The World's Billionaires
* Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Charles G. Koch | Charles Koch Foundation". Charles G. Koch Foundation. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
2. ^ a b Mr. Big Forbes.com. Retrieved November 2011.
3. ^ "Koch, Charles (1935)". New Netherland Project. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
4. ^ "Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Charles Koch". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
5. ^ a b Ferguson, Andrew (April 21, 2011). "The 2011 Time 100". Time. Archived from the original on April 25, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
6. ^ "America's Largest Private Companies". Forbes. 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
7. ^ "Ayn Rand Institute - Ties to the Koch Brothers". SourceWatch. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
8. ^ 2006 ISBN 978-1931721998
9. ^ Charles G. Koch (2007). The Science Of Success Archived May 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine ISBN 978-0470139882 Retrieved April 2011.
10. ^ "Charles Koch's New Book Out Tuesday" Biz Journals, Wichita, October 12, 2015. ISBN 978-0147520470
11. ^ ""Believe in People" By Charles Koch & Brian Hooks". Believe In People. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
12. ^ a b "The 400 Richest Americans". Forbes. "Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Arts / Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Master of Science Son of Koch Industries founder Fred C. Koch (d. 1967), MIT grad who invented method of refining gasoline from heavy oil. Took refining innovation to Soviet Union 1929; returned home 1930s. Sons Frederick, Charles, David and William inherited Koch Industries after father's death; Charles and David bought out William and Frederick for $1.3 billion in 1983."
13. ^ "FMK Foundation History". Fmkfoundation.org. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
14. ^ Daniel Fisher (February 26, 2007). "Koch's Laws". Forbes. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
15. ^ "Interview with Charles Koch". Warren Cassell Jr.
16. ^ Tankersley, Jim (August 1, 2016). "'I don't like the idea of capitalism': Charles Koch, unfiltered". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
17. ^ "Forbes: Charles Koch Bio". Forbes. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
18. ^ "Koch CEO to speak at MIT". April 16, 1997. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
19. ^ "Charles G. Koch [1935]". New Netherland Institute. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
20. ^ a b c "Twenty Questions for Charles Koch". American Journal of Business. 24 (1). Muncie: 15–8. Spring 2009. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
21. ^ a b c d e f g Stephen Moore (May 6, 2006). "The Weekend Interview with Charles Koch: Private Enterprise". The Wall Street Journal. p. A.8.
22. ^ a b c Phyllis Jacobs Griekspoor (March 4, 2007). "Charles Koch: His philosophy and his company". Wichita Eagle. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011.
23. ^ Wayne, Leslie (April 28, 1998). "Brother Versus Brother; Koch Family's Long Legal Feud Is Headed for a Jury". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018.
24. ^ "Blood And Oil". CBS News. November 27, 2000. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
25. ^ Mark Skousen (March 4, 2007). "Business Bookshelf: A Short Course In Long-Term Value". The Wall Street Journal. p. D.8.
26. ^ Carrie Sheffield. "Charles Koch". Forbes.
27. ^ Brian O'Reilly; Patty De Llosa (February 17, 1997). "The Curse on the Koch Brothers One of the Biggest Family Feuds in Business History May Soon Come to a Climax, You Thought $1 Billion Could Buy Happiness? Not For These Guys". archive.fortune.com. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
28. ^ Boulton, Guy (June 26, 1994). "Koch and his empire grew together" (PDF). Wichita Eagle. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 16, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
29. ^ "Commission File Number 2-78658". Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
30. ^ Koch's bio at the Mercatus Center
31. ^ "Charles Koch opens up about his 'classical liberal' views". Fox News. October 15, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
32. ^ The Koch Brothers December 24, 2012 p. 96 Forbes
33. ^ National Journal (May 16, 1992)
34. ^ The Top 10 Forbes Asia October 19, 2009.
35. ^ a b Continetti, Matthew (April 4, 2011). "The Paranoid Style in Liberal Politics". The Weekly Standard. Archived from the original on April 11, 2011.
36. ^ Koch, Charles, The Science of Success, p. 57
37. ^ a b c Kate Zernike (October 25, 2010). "Secretive Republican Donors Are Planning Ahead". The New York Times.
38. ^ Yakowicz, Will (July 27, 2021). "Billionaire Charles Koch On Why Cannabis Should Be Legal". Forbes. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
39. ^ Koch, Charles (March 1, 2011). "Why Koch Industries Is Speaking Out". The Wall Street Journal.
40. ^ a b Daniel Fisher (December 5, 2012). "Inside The Koch Empire: How The Brothers Plan To Reshape America". Forbes.
41. ^ Koch, Charles (April 3, 2014). "Charles Koch: I'm Fighting to Restore a Free Society". The Wall Street Journal.
42. ^ Kopan, Tal (April 3, 2014). "Charles Koch calls critics 'collectivists'". Politico.
43. ^ What is MBM? Archived January 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine www.mbminstitute.org. Retrieved April 2011.
44. ^ Schor, Elana (May 16, 2011). "In Right's Energy-Subsidy Clash, Shades of Koch vs. Pickens". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
45. ^ a b c Glassman, James. "Market-Based Man". Philanthropy Magazine. Philanthropy Roundtable. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
46. ^ "25 Years at Cato" (PDF). Retrieved July 10, 2009.
47. ^ "The 50 Top American Givers". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
48. ^ Charles Koch receives honorary degree from George Mason University www.kochind.com. Retrieved April 2011.
49. ^ Kinzer, Stephen (June 30, 2019). "In an astonishing turn, George Soros and Charles Koch team up to end US 'forever war' policy". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
50. ^ "Board of Directors – Mercatus". Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
51. ^ MacLean, Nancy (2017). Democracy in chains : the deep history of the radical right's stealth plan for America. New York. ISBN 978-1-101-98096-5. OCLC 987376346.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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53. ^ "Bill of Rights Institute". Media Matters for America.
54. ^ "Youth Entrepreneurs Kansas". Charles G. Koch Foundation. Archived from the original on February 5, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
55. ^ Koch, Charles (November 25, 2020). "Charles Koch and Brian Hooks: Believe in People" (Interview). Interviewed by Nick Gillespie. Retrieved November 27, 2020. "And so for many years I've been saying it. Okay, the temperature's been rising for over a century now, and human activity has contributed to it. But the approach is wrong. This top-down approach which they are using supposedly around the world, and emissions keep rising. So it's not accomplishing. What does, what has accomplished and what will accomplish are innovations, bottom-up innovations that, for example, substitute natural gas for coal.... And we're working on inventing things that will do two things: not just have less emissions, but will be cheaper and more affordable rather than much more expensive and unreliable, which makes people's lives worse." (36:37-38:00)
56. ^ a b Davenport, Coral; Lipton, Eric (June 3, 2017). "How G.O.P. Leaders Came to View Climate Change as Fake Science". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
57. ^ Mayer, Jane (August 13, 2019). ""Kochland" Examines the Koch Brothers' Early, Crucial Role in Climate-Change Denial". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
58. ^ Goldenberg, Suzanne (February 15, 2012). "Leak exposes how Heartland Institute works to undermine climate science". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
59. ^ "How Big Money in Politics Blocked U.S. Action on Climate Change". Yale E360. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
60. ^ "Climate skeptic group works to reverse renewable energy mandates". Washington Post.
61. ^ Gillis, Justin; Kaufman, Leslie (February 15, 2012). "Leak Offers Glimpse of Campaign Against Climate Science". The New York Times.
62. ^ "The Heartland Institute 2012 Fundraising Plan" (PDF). The Heartland Institute. January 15, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 17, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
63. ^ BEST donors Archived April 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, accessed 3/25/11
64. ^ a b c d e f g Ahmed, Nafeez (October 9, 2020). "Climate Science Denial Network Behind Great Barrington Declaration". Byline Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
65. ^ a b c d e f g Ahmed, Nafeez (October 3, 2020). "Koch-Funded PR Agency Aided Great Barrington Declaration Sponsor". BylineTimes. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
66. ^ a b Ramkumar, Amrith (March 22, 2022). "WSJ News Exclusive | Koch Industries, Built on Oil, Bets Big on U.S. Batteries". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
67. ^ "The dirty dozen: meet America's top climate villains". the Guardian. October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
68. ^ McCoy, Daniel (March 28, 2023). "Koch Industries Inc. notches EPA Energy Star award for third straight year". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
69. ^ a b c d Jane Mayer (August 30, 2010). "Covert Operations: The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
70. ^ Brian Doherty (2008). Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement. PublicAffairs. p. 410\. ISBN 978-1-58648-572-6. "One longtime Koch lieutenant characterized the overall strategy of Koch's libertarian funding over the years with both a theatrical metaphor and an Austrian capital theory one: Politicians, ultimately, are just actors playing out a script. The idea is, one gets better and quicker results aiming not at the actors but at the scriptwriters, to help supply the themes and words for the scripts—to try to influence the areas where policy ideas percolate from: academia and think tanks. Ideas, then, are the capital goods that go into building policy as a finished product—and there are insufficient libertarian capital goods at the top of the structure of production to build the policies libertarians demand."
71. ^ "Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program". Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010. "The Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program combines a paid public policy internship with two career skills seminars and weekly policy lectures. You'll gain real-world experience, take a crash course in market-based policy analysis, and hone your professional skills. The intensive ten-week program begins in June and includes a $1,500 stipend and a housing allowance."
72. ^ "Winner of the 2011 William E. Simon Prize". philanthropyroundtable.org.
73. ^ "2011 William E. Simon Prize". Philanthropy Roundtable. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
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75. ^ a b c Horwitz, Sari (August 15, 2015). "Unlikely Allies". Washington Post.
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## Further reading

[edit]

* Leonard, Christopher (2019). Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781476775388. OCLC 1110726946.

## External links

[edit]

* Profile at Koch Industries
* Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation
* Profile at Philanthropy Roundtable
* Political contributions from Influence Explorer at the Sunlight Foundation
* Charles Koch at Bloomberg L.P.
* Robinson, Peter (April 29, 2016). "Good Profit Part II". Uncommon Knowledge. Hoover Institution. "Video Interview, recorded March 18, 2016"

* v
* t
* e

Koch family

First generation|

* Harry Koch: 1867–1942

Second generation|

* Fred C. Koch: 1900–1967

Third generation|

* Frederick R. Koch: 1933–2020
* Charles Koch: 1935
* David Koch: 1940–2019
* Julia Koch: 1962
* William Koch: 1940

Fourth generation|

* Elizabeth Koch: 1976
* Chase Koch: 1977
* Wyatt : 1986
* William: 1997
* Charlotte: 1996
* Robin: 1999
* Kaitlin: 2006
* David Jr.: 1998
* Mary Julia: 2001
* John: 2006

Major companies|

* Koch Industries

Other organizations|

* Americans for Prosperity
* Bill of Rights Institute
* Cato Institute
* Charles Koch Institute
* Citizens for a Sound Economy
* Koch family foundations
* Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research

See also|

* Political activities of the Koch brothers
* Mary R. Koch (ship)
* The Science of Success (book)
* Good Profit (book)
* Mercatus Center
* Charles Koch Arena
* David H. Koch Theater
* Koch Brothers Exposed

* v
* t
* e

Koch Industries

Georgia-Pacific|

* Angel Soft
* Brawny
* Colhogar
* Delica
* Demak'Up
* DensArmor Plus
* Dixie
* KittenSoft
* Lotus
* Mardi Gras
* Moltonel
* Okay
* Plytanium
* Quilted Northern
* Sparkle
* Tenderly
* ToughRock
* Tutto
* Vanity Fair

Infor|

* CERTPOINT Systems
* Geac Computer Corporation
* D&B Software
* GT Nexus
* TradeCard
* MAPICS
* SSA Global Technologies
* Baan Corporation
* Epiphany, Inc.

Invista|

* Antron
* Comforel
* Cordura
* Dacron
* Polarguard
* SolarMax
* Stainmaster

Other units|

* ABKO Properties
* Guardian Industries
* Flint Hills Resources
* Koch Chemical Technology Group
* Koch Fertilizer
* Koch Minerals
* KochPAC
* Koch Pipeline Company
* Koch Supply & Trading
* Matador Cattle Company
* Molex

Key people|

* Charles Koch
* David Koch
* Richard Fink
* Kevin Gentry
* J. Howard Marshall

* v
* t
* e

Wealthiest people in the United States by state

Jimmy Rane

Leonard Hyde and Jonathan Rubini

Ernest Garcia II

Jim Walton

Mark Zuckerberg

Philip Anschutz

Steve Cohen

Elizabeth Snyder

Jeff Bezos

The Cathys

Pierre Omidyar

Frank VanderSloot

Lukas Walton

Carl Cook

Harry Stine

Charles Koch

Tamara Gustavson

Todd Graves

Susan Alfond

Annette Lerner

Abigail Johnson

Daniel Gilbert

Glen Taylor

James and Thomas Duff

John Morris

Dennis Washington

Warren Buffett

Miriam Adelson

Richard B. Cohen

Rocco B. Commisso

Ron Corio

Michael Bloomberg

James Goodnight

Gary Tharaldson

Les Wexner

Harold Hamm

Phil Knight

Jeff Yass

Jonathan Nelson

Bob Faith

T. Denny Sanford

Thomas Frist Jr.

Elon Musk

Gail Miller

John Abele

Jacqueline Mars

Bill Gates

Brad D. Smith

John Menard Jr.

John Mars

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Japan
* Czech Republic
* Netherlands
* Korea
* Poland
* Israel

People|

* DDB

Other|

* IdRef
* SNAC

*[m.]: married
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template