What is Howard Buffett's Net Worth?
Howard Buffett is a prominent businessman, philanthropist, author, and former politician with an estimated net worth of $400 million. As the middle child of billionaire Warren Buffett, Howard has held various executive roles in notable corporations such as the Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, the GSI Group, ConAgra Foods, and the Coca-Cola Company. He also serves as the CEO and Chairman of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, where he champions numerous humanitarian and environmental initiatives.
Early Life
Born on December 16, 1954, in Omaha, Nebraska, Howard Buffett is the middle child of activist Susan Thompson and billionaire Warren Buffett. He shares his childhood with siblings Susan and Peter. Named after his grandfather, Howard grew up in a family that valued business and altruism.
Farming
Before venturing into the corporate world, Howard worked as a farmer in Tekamah, Nebraska, in the late 1970s. His father supported him by purchasing a property worth $760,000 and charging him rent to live there.
Business Career
Howard Buffett's business career spans several high-ranking roles in major corporations, mainly focusing on agriculture. From 1991 to 1995, he was the director of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, and later served as its vice president and assistant to the chairman from 1992. During the same period, he became a director at Berkshire Hathaway and took up the role of president of Buffett Farms. He also began his tenure as a director at Coca-Cola Enterprises in the 1990s, holding the position until 2004. In 2010, Howard became a director at the Coca-Cola Company.
Howard held the chairmanship of the board of directors at GSI Group from 1995 to 2001. Between 1995 and early 2010, he was a director at Lindsay Corporation and served as the company's chairman from 2002 to 2003. Additionally, he was the director of ConAgra Foods from 2002 to 2006.
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Political Career
Aside from his corporate endeavors, Howard Buffett has been active in state politics as a Republican. From 1989 to 1992, he served as a county commissioner in Douglas County, Nebraska, and chaired the Nebraska Ethanol Authority and Development Board. In 2017, he became the sheriff of Macon County, Illinois, following Thomas Schneider's resignation. Though he ran for the Republican nomination in 2021, Howard suspended his campaign due to disagreements with legislative changes affecting the sheriff's position.
Philanthropy
Howard's philanthropic efforts are vast, particularly through the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. As CEO and Chairman, he focuses on humanitarian aid, agriculture, environmental conservation, and nutrition projects, primarily in Africa and Central America. In 2007, the Foundation launched the Global Water Initiative to provide clean water to underserved communities. The Foundation also partnered with the Nature Conservation Trust and South African National Parks to counter rhino poaching in South Africa. Notably, it contributed $200 million to the development of Tibú, Colombia, a significant coca crop region.
Besides his foundation work, Howard founded the International Cheetah Conservation Foundation and co-founded the Cougar Fund. He has collaborated with the National Geographic Council of Advisors, the Nature Conservancy, Ecotrust, and the Africa Foundation. In 2010, he joined the Eastern Congo Initiative founded by Ben Affleck. A year later, Howard partnered with the Bridgeway Foundation.
Books
Howard Buffett has authored several books on ecological conservation and human conditions. His notable works include "On the Edge: Balancing Earth's Resources" (2001), "Tapestry of Life" (2002), and "Spots Before Your Eyes," co-written with Ann van Dyk. Other publications include "Threatened Kingdom: The Story of the Mountain Gorilla," "Fragile: The Human Condition," and "Our 50-State Border Crisis: How the Mexican Border Fuels the Drug Epidemic Across America." Alongside his son Howard, he co-authored the New York Times bestseller "Forty Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World."
Personal Life
In 1977, Howard married his first wife, Marcia Duncan. He later married Devon Morse in 1983, and they have a son named Howard, who teaches at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and previously worked in the White House under Barack Obama.
Howard resides in Decatur, Illinois, and manages a 1,500-acre family farm in Pana, Illinois, along with three research farms located in Arizona and South Africa.
