Julia Margaret Flesher Koch (born April 12, 1962) is an American socialite and philanthropist who is one of the richest women in the world. In the annual Forbes ranking for April 2023, she ranked second among the richest women in the world with a fortune of $59 billion.[1] She inherited her fortune from her husband, David Koch, who died in 2019.
Julia Margaret Flesher was born in Des Moines, Iowa[2] on April 12, 1962.[3][4] Her family came from a farming background, but when she was born, her parents, Margaret and Frederic Flesher, owned a furniture store called Flesher's. She spent her early childhood in Indianola, Iowa, then when she was eight years old her family moved to Conway, Arkansas, where her parents started a clothing store called Peggy Frederic's, which she considered "a beautiful, beautiful shop".[5] By 1998, her mother still lived in Conway but her father had moved back to Indianola.[5]
She met David Koch on a blind date in January 1991, although they did not continue dating at the time.[5][8] She later described her reaction: "I'm glad I met that man because now I know I never want to go out with him".[5] However, the two met again at a party later that year and started dating.[5][8] She stopped working in 1993,[5] and they got married in May 1996 at David Koch's house on Meadow Lane in Southampton.[6][7][3]
In December 1997, she made what the New York Times called her "New York society debut" at the Met Gala.[5][9] She was co-chairwoman of the gala that year, along with Anna Wintour and Patrick McCarthy.[9][10][11] McCarthy said she was "one of those people who occur in New York every few years...she's beautiful, she loves fashion, she knows how to entertain, she's married to an extraordinarily rich man."[5]
In 2022, Koch put the apartment at 740 Park Avenue on the market; a spokesperson said that she wanted to sell it because she was spending more time at houses in Southampton and Palm Beach.[13]
Koch is on the board of directors of Koch Industries.[4] She tends not to seek public attention.[8]
Koch is president of the David H. Koch Foundation, which says it has given over $200 million to causes related to science and medical research, education and the arts as of 2022.[18] She also established the Julia Koch Family Foundation, which donates to healthcare, educational and cultural organizations.[19]
In 2012, Koch made a $10 million gift to the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, creating the David H. and Julia Koch Research Program in Food Allergy Therapeutics within its Jaffe Food Allergy Institute.[23] In 2016, she donated $10 million to establish the David & Julia Koch research clinic for allergy and asthma at the Lucile Packard Children's HospitalatStanford University.[24]
Koch has also given to LSA Family Health Services and NYU Langone, establishing the Julia Koch Endowed Scholarship.[25] Roy I. Davidovitch is the current Julia Koch Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and director of NYU Langone's Hip Center.[26]
In 2022, Koch donated $5 million to expand the Cox Science Center and Aquarium in Palm Beach, Florida.[27] In 2024, she donated $75 million to NYU Langone through the Julia Koch Family Foundation for the construction of the Julia Koch Family Ambulatory Care Center, a medical office tower in West Palm Beach, Florida.[28]
Koch is a member of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Board of Trustees,[29] the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees,[30] and the Venetian Heritage Foundation's Board of Directors.[31]
^Gerhart, Annie Groer; Ann (December 9, 1997). "The Reliable Source". Washington Post. Retrieved February 23, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Gross, Michael (March 11, 2004). "Where the Boldface Bunk". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2022.