David Koch

David Koch was an American businessman, political activist, philanthropist, and chemical engineer. In 1970, Koch joined his family's business, Koch Industries, the second-largest privately held company in the United States.

David was a twin to William, who joined the family business after he earned his doctorate in chemical engineering in 1971.

Koch graduated from Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and later studied engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1962 and his master's degree in 1963. Koch worked for several engineering firms in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and New York City before joining Koch Industries. Koch founded the Koch Industries New York City branch, where he lived the majority of his life.

In 1979, Koch was named president of the Koch Engineering division, later known as Koch Chemical Technology Group. Two years later, in 1981, Koch became executive vice president of the parent company.

Also in 1979, Koch became the Libertarian Party's candidate for Vice President of the United States, alongside running mate Ed Clark, the presidential candidate. Their platform advocated for individual rights and against the oppression and harassment of people based on sexual orientation. They also proposed eliminating policies they felt were stifling innovation, competition, and opportunity for the least advantaged, such as policies related to occupational licensure and the criminalization of drug use.

In 1984, Charles Koch and Rick Fink, who also served as executive vice president of Koch Industries, founded what is now known as Americans for Prosperity, of which Koch became an avid supporter.

On February 1, 1991, Koch was aboard a USAir flight when it collided with a SkyWest plane upon landing at the Los Angeles International Airport. In the crash, thirty-five people were killed, and twenty-nine people were injured. Koch survived by barely escaping the burning cabin through a galley door at the front of the plane. Following the tragedy, Koch became even more philanthropic.

A year after the crash, Koch learned he had prostate cancer. Despite continuous treatments, the cancer was never completely cured. Because of his personal experience with cancer, Koch has made some tremendously large donations to create medical research centers and patient facilities, including MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and MD Anderson Cancer Center.

In May 1996, Koch married Julie Flesher, with whom he had three children, David Jr., Mary Julia, and John.