Howard Buffett | Celebrity Net Worth 2026

Biography & Early Wealth Journey

Howard has served on the board of Berkshire Hathaway since 1993. In September 2026, he became Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway's board as part of the succession plan his father had discussed for years. Warren Buffett became Chairman Emeritus, while Greg Abel continued running Berkshire's day-to-day operations as CEO. Howard's role is non-executive and focused heavily on governance and preservation of Berkshire's corporate culture.

Outside Berkshire, Howard is Chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, which focuses on food security, conflict mitigation, and combating human trafficking. The foundation has funded major projects throughout Africa, Latin America, the United States, and Ukraine. Buffett has also spent decades farming, served on the boards of companies including Coca-Cola, Archer Daniels Midland, ConAgra, and Lindsay Corporation, and served as sheriff of Macon County, Illinois.

Early Life

Howard Graham Buffett was born on December 16, 1954, in Omaha, Nebraska. He is the middle child of Warren Buffett and Susan Thompson Buffett. His older sister is Susan Alice Buffett, and his younger brother is Peter Buffett.

Primary Income Streams & Multi-Million Contracts

Howard was named in part for his paternal grandfather, Howard Buffett. Unlike his father, whose interests centered almost entirely on business and investing from childhood, Howard developed a strong interest in agriculture, machinery, wildlife, and the outdoors.

He attended several colleges but did not earn a degree. Howard has often described himself first and foremost as a farmer rather than as an investor or corporate executive.

Farming

Howard began farming in Nebraska in 1977. Warren Buffett purchased a 400-acre farm near Tekamah and required Howard to pay rent rather than simply giving him the property.

Real Estate, Luxury Assets & Personal Investments

The arrangement became a frequently cited example of Warren's approach to raising his children. Howard received the opportunity to operate a farm, but he was expected to make the economics work himself.

Howard later became president of Buffett Farms and operated agricultural land in Illinois and Nebraska. Farming also became closely connected to his philanthropic work, particularly his interest in soil health, conservation agriculture, crop productivity, and global food security.

The Howard G. Buffett Foundation now operates research farms and ranches in Illinois, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico through an affiliated organization. Those properties are used to study agricultural practices that can improve productivity while preserving soil and water resources.

Business Career

Wealth Trajectory & Future Earnings Projections

Buffett held a series of corporate leadership and board positions, many of them connected to agriculture and food production. He served as a director of Archer Daniels Midland from 1991 to 1995 and also held executive positions at the company.

He later chaired the board of agricultural equipment manufacturer The GSI Group. Buffett also served for years as a director of Lindsay Corporation and held a board seat at ConAgra Foods.

From 1993 through 2004, Howard served as a director of Coca-Cola Enterprises, which at the time was one of the largest Coca-Cola bottlers in the world. He later joined the board of The Coca-Cola Company itself in 2010 and remained a director until 2016.

The corporate role that ultimately became most significant was Berkshire Hathaway. Howard joined Berkshire's board in 1993 and remained there for more than three decades before becoming Chairman in 2026.

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Berkshire Hathaway Chairman

For years, Warren Buffett made clear that he wanted Howard eventually to serve as Berkshire Hathaway's non-executive chairman.

The plan separated Berkshire's two most important leadership functions. Greg Abel was selected to succeed Warren as CEO and take responsibility for operations and capital allocation, while Howard was intended to lead the board and help protect the culture and values Warren had established.

Abel became CEO on January 1, 2026. On September 18, 2026, Berkshire's board elected Howard Chairman of the Board. Warren moved into the role of Chairman Emeritus and remained a Berkshire director.

Howard did not become Berkshire's chief investment officer or operating chief. His chairman role centers on oversight of management, corporate governance, and continuity of Berkshire's long-standing business culture.

Howard G. Buffett Foundation

The Howard G. Buffett Foundation was established in 1999. Howard serves as Chairman and CEO.

The foundation concentrates its resources in three main areas: food security, conflict mitigation, and combating human trafficking. It also maintains smaller conservation programs involving cheetahs and mountain gorillas.

Howard's approach to philanthropy has been shaped heavily by agriculture. Rather than focusing solely on food aid, the foundation has funded projects designed to help farmers improve crop yields, manage soil and water, access markets, and maintain livelihoods in difficult environments.

The foundation has also worked in countries affected by organized crime, armed conflict, displacement, and political instability. Its projects have included extensive work in Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and other countries.

The foundation is designed to spend down its assets rather than exist forever. Its stated plan is to dissolve by the end of 2045.

Ukraine

Ukraine became one of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation's largest areas of focus following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Howard traveled repeatedly to Ukraine and met with farmers, government officials, humanitarian organizations, law enforcement agencies, and local communities. The foundation funded agricultural support, food production, demining, reconstruction, emergency services, and other projects.

By 2026, the foundation had committed more than $1.4 billion to Ukraine.

Howard also documented the war through photography and writing. His work included the publication "Courage of a Nation: Three Years of War," and he served as an executive producer of the documentary "Porcelain War," which received an Academy Award nomination.

Public Service

Buffett has held several public-service positions in addition to his business and philanthropic work.

He was elected to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners in Nebraska and served from 1989 through 1992. During part of that period, he also chaired the Nebraska Ethanol Authority and Development Board.

Years later, Howard became involved in law enforcement in Macon County, Illinois. He spent years volunteering with the Macon County Sheriff's Office and served as an undersheriff before being appointed sheriff in September 2017 following the resignation of Sheriff Thomas Schneider.

Buffett served as Macon County sheriff through November 2018.

In 2021, he announced plans to seek the office again in the 2022 election but suspended the campaign after changes to Illinois law created uncertainty over whether his prior law-enforcement training satisfied the state's revised eligibility requirements for sheriff.

Books and Photography

Buffett has published numerous books focusing on agriculture, conservation, poverty, conflict, wildlife, and social conditions around the world.

His photography book "Fragile: The Human Condition" documented people and communities he encountered during extensive international travel. Other works include "Threatened Kingdom: The Story of the Mountain Gorilla" and several books focused on wildlife conservation.

In 2013, Howard and his son, Howard Warren Buffett, published "40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World." The book grew out of Warren Buffett's decision to provide Howard's foundation with billions of dollars to address global hunger and poverty. The title refers to the idea that a farmer may have only about 40 growing seasons during an adult working life and therefore has a limited number of opportunities to get major decisions right.

Howard later published "Our 50-State Border Crisis: How the Mexican Border Fuels the Drug Epidemic Across America," drawing on his experiences in law enforcement, philanthropy, and work in Mexico and Central America.

Documentary Work

Buffett has also worked as an executive producer on several documentary films connected to issues supported by his foundation.

Those projects include "Virunga," which examines threats facing Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo; "The River and the Wall," about the environmental and human effects of barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border; and "Path of the Panther," focused on Florida panther conservation.

He also executive produced "Porcelain War," about Ukrainian artists living and working during the Russian invasion. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.

Personal Life

Howard married Marcia Duncan in 1977. The marriage later ended, and he subsequently married Devon Morse.

Howard and Devon have a son, Howard Warren Buffett. The younger Howard has worked in philanthropy, government, academia, and social-impact investing and is an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

The elder Howard has long been based in Decatur, Illinois, where his farming and foundation operations have had a significant presence. Despite being the son of one of the richest people in history, much of Howard's professional identity has revolved around farming, conservation, public service, and philanthropy rather than managing his father's investments.

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