CBS News has confirmed, that billionaire conservative David Koch, according to a source close to the Koch family, is dead. The New York City resident was suffering from deteriorating health as of late.
According to a letter Koch’s older brother Charles Koch sent to company officials last summer, he said,
“We are deeply saddened by this, as we miss David’s insightful questions and his many contributions to Koch Industries.”
Charles released a statement on his brother’s passing, saying he will be
“greatly missed, but never forgotten.”
According to CNN,
The Koch company is an industrial conglomerate that is one of the world’s largest private companies, engaging in everything from oil refining to making consumer products such as Brawny paper towels. Forbes pegged David Koch’s net worth at more than $42 billion. But the Koch brothers were best known — and vilified by Democrats — for their role in politics, and they used their vast wealth to build a sprawling array of think tanks, foundations and political groups to spread their small-government, free-market message. David Koch was most active in Americans for Prosperity, the grassroots arm of the Koch’s sprawling network, which built a coalition of more than 3 million activists to push the agenda of the Kochs and the roughly 700 like-minded donors to help fund their public policy work.
Their mission of advancing a small-government, libertarian-leaning message has expanded to include large donations to colleges and universities as well as advocating for criminal justice reform.
David Koch had recently stepped down from the brothers’ network of business and political activities. They have long been involved in supporting the Republican Party and criticized by Democrats for their outsized influence in conservative politics.
The brothers declined to spend anything on the last presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and David was less involved in politics than his brother and more known for his philanthropy to the arts, particularly ballet. He gave $100 million to renovate the New York State Theater in Lincoln Center, which was renamed for him in 2008.
Liberals, including myself, wishing no one dead, however will NOT be mourning his passing.
However, his $42 billion will continue to fund conservative causes for generations after his passing.
David Koch was 79. (Photo, YouTube)
