David Koch

David Hamilton Koch was an American businessman, political activist, philanthropist, and chemical engineer. He joined the family business, Koch Industries, in 1970 and became president of the subsidiary Koch Engineering in 1979. Koch became a co-owner of Koch Industries in 1983. He served as an executive vice president of Koch Industries until he retired due to health issues in 2018.

Koch was a libertarian. He was the 1980 Libertarian candidate for Vice President of the United States and helped finance the campaign. He founded Citizens for a Sound Economy and donated to advocacy groups and political campaigns, most of which were Republican. Koch became a Republican in 1984. In 2012, he spent over $100 million in a failed bid to oppose the re-election of President Barack Obama.

As of June 2019, Koch was ranked as the 11th-richest person in the world, with a fortune of $50.5 billion. Koch contributed to the Lincoln Center, Sloan Kettering, NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital, and the Dinosaur Wing at the American Museum of Natural History. The New York State Theater at Lincoln Center, home of the New York City Ballet, was renamed the David H. Koch Theater in 2008 following Koch's gift of $100 million for the renovation of the theater.