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