job as she was pursuing evidence against senior Koch executives. After she left, the case was dropped.
Jones, Wesley. Georgia-Pacific manager whom Koch promoted to run the company’s pulp mill division. Jones was later promoted again to become executive vice president over operations. He saw firsthand how G-P’s operations changed under Koch, and was allowed to reinvest in the company with far less bureaucracy than before.
Koch, “Bill” William. Charles Koch’s younger brother and David Koch’s twin. Bill Koch led an attempted coup to unseat Charles Koch as CEO in the 1980s. After the coup failed, Bill Koch launched a legal battle against his brother that lasted for years. He eventually ran his own, smaller company, called Oxbow.
Koch, Charles. CEO and chairman of Koch Industries. Charles Koch took over the company in late 1967 after his father, Fred, died, and has run the firm ever since.
Koch, Chase. Charles Koch’s son, born in 1977. Chase began working for the family company as a teenager and joined it full-time a few years after graduating from college. He rose through the ranks to become president of Koch Fertilizer before leaving the position to eventually launch the Koch Disruptive Technologies division. Chase is widely viewed as an heir apparent who might one day succeed his father as CEO.
Koch, David. Bill Koch’s twin brother and Charles Koch’s younger brother. David Koch joined the family company after graduating from MIT and splits ownership of the firm equally with Charles Koch. Longtime Koch executives describe David as a “silent partner” who largely deferred to Charles Koch’s vision. David Koch retired in 2018 due to health problems.
Koch, Elizabeth. Charles Koch’s daughter, born in 1975. While she holds seats on many Koch boards, she has not held significant positions inside Koch Industries. She runs a publishing company in New York.
Koch, Fred. Founder of Koch Industries. Fred Koch was raised in a small town in Texas. Over many years, he built a small corporate empire with holdings in refining, oil transportation, and ranching. He died of a heart attack in 1967.
Koch, Frederick “Freddie,” Jr. The oldest of the four Koch brothers, named after his father. Freddie, as he is known, avoided the family company and moved to New York.
Koch, Liz. Charles Koch’s wife of more than forty-five years. She is involved in Koch’s community efforts and philanthropies.
Leonard, Timothy. Former US Attorney in Oklahoma City who oversaw the criminal investigation into Koch’s theft of oil. Leonard was appointed to become a federal judge and dropped the case against Koch Industries before he took the job on the bench.
Lonegan, Steve. The New Jersey state director of Americans for Prosperity. Lonegan was one of the first paid directors hired to run a chapter of the activist group. He helped stoke opposition to the cap-and-trade bill and punished Republicans who voted for it.
Markel, F. Lynn. Koch’s former chief financial officer, serving in that position during Koch’s period of explosive growth in the 1990s. Markel was hired as an accountant and rose through the ranks as Koch transformed its financial control systems. He left the company in 2000 after twenty-four years.
Markey, Ed. Democratic senator from Massachusetts. When he was a congressman from that state, he helped lead the effort to pass a cap-and-trade bill to control greenhouse gas emissions. Markey led a select subcommittee that spent years crafting the measure.
Mawer, Steve. President of Koch Supply & Trading from 2000 until 2014. Mawer held a social event at his home to host Charles Koch, who gave a salon-style talk to traders about politics and economics.
McKinney, Travis. Forklift driver at Georgia-Pacific’s warehouse in Portland, Oregon. He was grateful to get the job, and started just as G-P implemented its Labor Management System. He was an active member of the the Inlandboatmen’s Union, or IBU, as its power declined.
Meadows, Mark. Republican congressman from North Carolina and leader of the House of Representatives’ Tea Party–aligned Freedom Caucus during 2017. Meadows was often caught in the middle of policy differences between the Koch network and the Trump administration.
Nesmith, Tom. Salesman with the utility company Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM). Nesmith pitched the “parking” strategy to Koch Energy Trading, which allowed Koch to game electricity markets in California. PNM’s participation was vital to making the parking strategy succeed.
Obama, Barack. The forty-fourth president of the United States, elected in 2008 and reelected in 2012. Obama ushered in a liberal political wave that Charles Koch considered dangerous to the nation’s future.
O’Neill, Brenden. Koch Industries derivatives trader who earned millions of dollars during the natural gas price spike. O’Neill was an engineer in Koch’s oil refinery in Corpus Christi before he shifted to