Charles Koch (Eng. Charles de Ganahl Koch) - American billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist; co-owner, chairman and CEO of Koch Industries. As of March 2017, he was number eight on the list of the richest people in the world according to Forbes with a fortune of $48.3 billion.
Place of Birth. Education. Born November 1, 1935 in Wichita, Sedgwick, Kansas, USA One of four sons of Clementine Mary (née Robinson) and Fred Chase Koch. Koch's grandfather, Harry Koch, was a Dutch immigrant who settled in West Texas, founded the Quanah Tribune-Chief newspaper, and was the largest shareholder in Quanah, Acme, and Pacific Railway, a freight railroad.
Charles studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering in 1957, a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering in 1957, and a second in Chemical Engineering in 1960.
Business. After college, Koch began working for Arthur D Little, Inc. In 1961, he returned to Wichita to join his father's business, the Oil Island Oil & Refining Company.
In 1967, he became president of what was then a medium-sized oil company. In the same year, he renamed Koch Industries in honor of his father.
His brother David Koch was his co-owner and executive vice president of the company. The brothers inherited the business from their father, Fred Koch, the creator of a new method of producing gasoline, and expanded it 2600 times compared to the original figures. Initially focused solely on the chemical and petroleum industries, today's Koch Industries is engaged in a very wide range of activities, from polymer production to environmental programs and animal husbandry.
State. According to Forbes in 2010, Koch Industries is the second privately held company in the US in terms of revenue. Charles Koch - as of March 2017 - is listed as the eighth richest person in the world by Forbes with a net worth of $48.3 billion.
Koch is also active in philanthropy and has written a book about his own business philosophy.
Political sponsor. The Koch brothers are known as major contributors to conservative ideology in the Republican Party. So, in 2012 alone, they spent about $400 million to counteract the re-election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States.
Awards. Time magazine included Charles and David Koch in their list of the most influential people in 2011.
Family. Koch has been married since 1972 and has two children, Chase Koch and Elisabeth Koch. Charles and his three brothers are suffering from prostate cancer.
October 29, 2024