HUGE COFFERS

Conservative Mega-Donor’s Widow Tops Forbes List of America’s Richest Women

Forbes labeled Julia Koch the richest woman in America on its list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, though Walmart heiress Alice Walton has already unseated her.

Julia Koch, the widow of conservative mega-donor and “dark money” heavyweight David Koch, who died in 2019, has topped Forbes’ list of America’s richest women for the first time. Tough luck, though: By the time the list published on Tuesday, Walmart heiress Alice Walton (current net worth: $55.3 billion) had already unseated Koch ($53 billion). Koch Industries, the conglomerate from which she derives her wealth, has spiked in value thanks to high oil prices. Meanwhile, the net worth of MacKenzie Scott—ex-wife of Jeff Bezos—fell more than $20 billion on the Forbes ranks, both due to Amazon’s sinking share price and because she has continued to donate billions of dollars. Also of note on this year’s rankings: Elon Musk nabbed the top spot for the first time, and former President Donald Trump clawed his way back into the top 400 after dropping off last year.