Billionaire David Koch, a major donor to the Republican party, has died aged 79. He had been suffering from cancer.
The former majority owner of Koch Industries was ranked by Forbes below brother Charles as the 11th richest person in the world.
Together they had a huge influence on the conservative movement and bankrolled causes pushing for small government and a free economy.
But this has made them both polarising figures.
They gave a lot of money to Mitt Romney's failed presidential campaign but fell out with President Donald Trump over his tough immigration policy and tariffs.
'Blood and money': The story of the Koch brothers
In 2018 Koch stepped down from Koch Industries - which refines crude oil, produces fertiliser, and manufactures household products - citing his declining health.
He had been a major donor to the arts, especially ballet, and donated to New York's Lincoln Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center hospital.
He ran for vide-president as a Libertarian in 1980, calling for the abolishment of many federal government agencies.
According to Forbes, he is estimated to be worth $42.4bn (£34.7bn).
The Koch brothers are despised among liberal Americans
The news of his death was confirmed in a statement from Charles Koch, who said that his brother was first diagnosed with prostate cancer 27 years ago and given only a few years to live.
"David liked to say that a combination of brilliant doctors, state-of-the-art medications and his own stubbornness kept the cancer at bay," Charles Koch wrote, adding that in those years he married his wife Julia Flesher and had three children.
He also described David as having a "giant personality and passion for life" and noted his "institution changing philanthropic commitments to hospitals, cancer research, education and the arts".
'Pushed Republicans to the right'
Analysis by Tara McKelvey, White House reporter
David Koch, who was born in Wichita, once said: "Hell, everybody from Kansas is a Republican."
In fact, there are plenty of Democrats in Kansas. But he was right about this - conservatism permeates the state. Kansas is a place where people believe in the individual spirit, free trade and free markets - and like to rail against Washington.
A libertarian, Koch fostered his economic ideas on a national level through organisations such as Americans for Prosperity, a right-wing advocacy group.
Over several decades, he helped to reshape conservatism in the US, pushing the Republican party to the right and inspiring leaders of the Tea Party movement who eventually helped to elect Trump.
A wealthy man who invested in both science (a dinosaur gallery at the American Museum of Natural History is named after him) and in libertarian, Kansas-bred economic ideas, Koch has had a profound impact on conservative thought in this country.
Who are the Koch brothers?
The company founded by Charles and David Koch - the second largest privately owned business in the US - has interests ranging from pipelines to paper towels.
According to the Koch Industries website, they have more than 120,000 employees between all their businesses and subsidiaries.
They have previously put money into groups denying climate change and attacking unions and workers' rights.
But they have also pushed for criminal justice reform and made large donations to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Let the port-mortem white-washing and respectful memories begin.
"I know its easy to be defeatist here because nothing has seemingly reigned Trump in so far. But I will say this: every asshole succeeds until finally, they don't. Again, 18 months before he resigned, Nixon had a sky-high approval rating of 67%. Harvey Weinstein was winning Oscars until one day, he definitely wasn't."-John Oliver
"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan."-General Von Clauswitz, describing my opinion of Bernie or Busters and third partiers in a nutshell.
I SUPPORT A NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE.
The news of his death was confirmed in a statement from Charles Koch, who said that his brother was first diagnosed with prostate cancer 27 years ago and given only a few years to live.
"David liked to say that a combination of brilliant doctors, state-of-the-art medications and his own stubbornness kept the cancer at bay," Charles Koch wrote, adding that in those years he married his wife Julia Flesher and had three children.
Yeah, that's nice. Thanks to being able to afford the best-quality medical care in the world, he got an extra 20-plus years to spend trying to deny the right to basic medical care to tens of millions of impoverished Americans.
No amount of philanthropy in the world will make up for that.
"I know its easy to be defeatist here because nothing has seemingly reigned Trump in so far. But I will say this: every asshole succeeds until finally, they don't. Again, 18 months before he resigned, Nixon had a sky-high approval rating of 67%. Harvey Weinstein was winning Oscars until one day, he definitely wasn't."-John Oliver
"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan."-General Von Clauswitz, describing my opinion of Bernie or Busters and third partiers in a nutshell.
I SUPPORT A NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE.
Dude obviously liked ballet. No fault with that. Maybe that's a very low bar for praise.
"Do I really look like a guy with a plan? Y'know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it! Y'know, I just do things..." --The Joker
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.Leonard Nimoy.
Now I did a job. I got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character so let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job. And then I get paid.- Malcolm Reynolds, Captain of Serenity, which sums up my feelings regarding the lawsuit discussed here.
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. - John F. Kennedy
Dying at 79 is pretty good by some standards. Though dying from cancer isn't something I'd wish on anyone. It can be a really bad experience, depending on what "treatments" they put you through.
Oh he funded the Right Wing Movement...oh I see. I wonder what he thinks of his money now. If he is thinking anything right now. Cause rich or poor, we all end up in the same place. Cheerio.
Aleister Crowley wrote: ↑2019-08-23 08:42pm
Dying at 79 is pretty good by some standards. Though dying from cancer isn't something I'd wish on anyone. It can be a really bad experience, depending on what "treatments" they put you through.
Oh he funded the Right Wing Movement...oh I see. I wonder what he thinks of his money now. If he is thinking anything right now. Cause rich or poor, we all end up in the same place. Cheerio.
The worthless sack of shit masquerading as a human being made use of the finest and most advanced medical technology and knowledge to extend his own life even as he led a crusade against we plebeians even being allowed to do the same.
Fuck him. The real tragedy is that he didn't die screaming.
EDIT: Pardon, the tragedy is that the son of a bitch was even born. Failing that, that he didn't die sooner.
Never underestimate the ingenuity and cruelty of the Irish.
The bible says It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, so if there is one I hope he's being spit roasted by demons for all time.
Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who did not.
Broomstick wrote: ↑2019-08-23 06:20pm
Proof that even evil has standards.
Yeah, its possible to be a completely awful person and still draw the line at ethnic cleansing.
Or maybe he just wanted to make sure there was a steady stream of cheap Latino labour for the big companies to use. That seems more in character than a sudden attack of conscience. Still, just about no one is pure evil. But of course that's little comfort for the people his policies hurt.
"I know its easy to be defeatist here because nothing has seemingly reigned Trump in so far. But I will say this: every asshole succeeds until finally, they don't. Again, 18 months before he resigned, Nixon had a sky-high approval rating of 67%. Harvey Weinstein was winning Oscars until one day, he definitely wasn't."-John Oliver
"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan."-General Von Clauswitz, describing my opinion of Bernie or Busters and third partiers in a nutshell.
I SUPPORT A NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE.
... I haven't read Dante's Inferno... so... which level of hell would David be in because I would believe that he is in hell right now, paying the piper for his actions.
Galvatron wrote: ↑2019-08-24 09:08pm
He's also the younger brother. What the hell is taking Charles Koch so long to die off?
Probably the ability to afford the best of everything, including the top-notch medical care that they want to deny to others.
"I know its easy to be defeatist here because nothing has seemingly reigned Trump in so far. But I will say this: every asshole succeeds until finally, they don't. Again, 18 months before he resigned, Nixon had a sky-high approval rating of 67%. Harvey Weinstein was winning Oscars until one day, he definitely wasn't."-John Oliver
"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan."-General Von Clauswitz, describing my opinion of Bernie or Busters and third partiers in a nutshell.
I SUPPORT A NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE.
