# Julia Flesher Koch Widow of [[David Koch]] and, by inheritance, one of the wealthiest women in the world — holder of David's ~42% stake in [[Koch Industries]] and, with her three children, the controller of half the family company. Her fortune is enormous (estimates in 2025 ranged from ~$74 billion to ~$81 billion) and her public profile is overwhelmingly one of **philanthropy and society**, not the political machine associated with the Koch name. ## Background Born in 1962, Julia Margaret Flesher worked in fashion (as an assistant to designer Adolfo) before meeting [[David Koch]] on a blind date in January 1991; they married in 1996 and had three children — David Jr., Mary Julia, and John. When David died in August 2019, Julia inherited his 42% interest in [[Koch Industries]], instantly becoming one of the richest individuals on earth and the family's second great pole of wealth alongside [[Charles Koch]]. ## Philanthropy Julia is president of the David H. Koch Foundation, which reports having given over $200 million to science, medicine, education, and the arts, and she runs the Julia Koch Family Foundation. During David's lifetime the couple gave more than $1.2 billion to institutions including Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the [[Smithsonian Institution]], Memorial Sloan Kettering, and NewYork-Presbyterian — the philanthropic, society-facing side of the Koch name that coexists uneasily with the network's political reputation. In October 2025 the family bought a 10% interest in the NFL's New York Giants, a stake valued around $10 billion. ## Politically Inactive The analytically important point for this KB: unlike David, Julia **has not taken up a comparable political role**. She controls a David-sized fortune and a David-sized company stake, but she has not become a David-sized political donor or a public face of the [[Koch Network]]. Her inheritance therefore represents a partial *de-politicization* of half the Koch fortune — at least for now, and at least publicly — even as [[Charles Koch]] continues to steer the network in his 90s. Whether the next generation (David Jr., Mary Julia, John) re-activates that wealth politically is one of the dynasty's open questions. (See [[Koch Family]].) ## See Also - [[David Koch]] — Her late husband - [[Koch Industries]] — The company she holds a ~42% stake in - [[Charles Koch]] — The family's other wealth-and-power pole - [[Koch Family]] · [[Koch Network]]