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The Koch Brothers: A Short History

By Yasha Levine
Published by S.H.A.M.E. BOOKS (December 2013)

Investigative journalist Yasha Levine travels to the tiny railroad town of Quanah, Texas, to find out more about the life of the man who spawned Charles and David Koch, the two most powerful oligarchs of our time…

Not much is known is known about Harry Koch (yep, that's a real name). Charles and David Koch don't like to talk about him much. And when they do talk about Grandpa Harry, they don't tell the truth. Like a lot of billionaires, they want the public to think they're self-made, that they came from humble beginnings, and so they portray their grandpa as if he was a po' immigrant who lived on the edge of poverty, barely scratching out an existence from his tiny newspaper business.

What has not been reported is that the Koch family has been marching under the same laissez-faire banner for the past three generations, ever since Harry emigrated to America in 1888, settled in a North Texas railroad town, became an aggressive newspaper publisher and booster, and shamelessly shilled for railroad and banking interests, amassing his wealth by helping big business fight organized labor and squelch reforms.

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