Koch family

Not to be confused with Ed Koch or Koch dynasty.
See also: Koch Industries

The Koch family (/koʊk/ KOHK) is an American family engaged in business, best known for their political activities and their control of Koch Industries, the 2nd largest privately owned company in the United States (with 2019 revenues of $115 billion).[1] The family business was started by Fred C. Koch, who developed a new cracking method for the refinement of heavy crude oil into gasoline.[2][3] Fred's four sons litigated against each other over their interests in the business during the 1980s and 1990s.[4]

By 2019, Charles Koch and David Koch, commonly referred to as the Koch brothers, were the only ones of Fred Koch's four sons still with Koch Industries.[5] Charles and David Koch built a political network of libertarian and conservative donors, and the brothers funneled financial revenue into television and multi-media advertising. David Koch died in August 2019.

  1. ^ "Forbes America's Largest Private Companies". Forbes.com. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  2. ^ Koch, Charles C. (2007). The Science of Success: How Market-Based Management Built the World's Largest Private Company. John Wiley & Sons. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-470-13988-2.
  3. ^ "Koch Industries, Inc". Company Profile Report. Hoover's, Inc. 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2010. [W]hen he tried to market his invention, the major oil companies sued him for patent infringement. Koch eventually won the lawsuits (after 15 years in court), but the controversy made it tough [?!] to attract many US customers.
  4. ^ "Epic struggle among Koch brothers ends". Houston Chronicle. May 26, 2001. p. 2.
  5. ^ Schulman, Daniel (May 20, 2014). "Koch vs. Koch: The Brutal Battle That Tore Apart America's Most Powerful Family". Mother Jones. Retrieved June 21, 2014.