What is Howard Buffett's Net Worth?
Howard Buffett is a businessman, philanthropist, author, and former politician who has a net worth of $400 million. The middle child of billionaire business magnate Warren Buffett, Howard Buffett has held executive positions at numerous corporations, including the Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, the GSI Group, ConAgra Foods, and the Coca-Cola Company. He is also the CEO and chairman of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, through which he supports various humanitarian and environmental projects.
Early Life
Howard Buffett was born on December 16, 1954 in Omaha, Nebraska as the middle child of activist Susan Thompson and billionaire business magnate Warren Buffett. His siblings are Susan and Peter. He was named after his grandfather Howard.
Farming
Before establishing himself in the world of business, Buffett worked as a farmer in Tekamah, Nebraska in the late 1970s. There, his father purchased a property for $760,000, and charged him rent to live there.
Business Career
Buffett has served in various executive positions at numerous major corporations over the years, particularly at ones related to agriculture. From 1991 to 1995, he was the director of the Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, a multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation in Chicago, Illinois. Buffett also served as the company's vice president and assistant to the chairman from 1992 to 1995. In the former year, he became a director at Berkshire Hathaway and the president of Buffett Farms. Also in the 1990s, Buffett began serving as a director at Coca-Cola Enterprises, the world's largest Coca-Cola bottler. He remained in that position until 2004. Six years later, Buffett became a director at the Coca-Cola Company.
Among his other major executive positions, Buffett served as the head of the board of directors of the GSI Group from 1995 to 2001. Meanwhile, from 1995 to early 2010, he was a director at Lindsay Corporation; he also served as that company's chairman from 2002 to 2003. Elsewhere, Buffett was the director of ConAgra Foods from 2002 to 2006.
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Political Career
In addition to his business endeavors, Buffett has been involved in state politics as a Republican. From 1989 to 1992, he served as a county commissioner in Douglas County, Nebraska. He also served as the chairman of the Nebraska Ethanol Authority and Development Board during that time. Much later, in 2017, Buffett became the sheriff of Macon County, Illinois after former sheriff Thomas Schneider resigned. He went on to run for the Republican nomination in 2021, but suspended his campaign due to disagreements over changes in state legislation impacting the position of sheriff.
Philanthropy
Buffett is substantially involved in philanthropic activities, particularly through his Howard G. Buffett Foundation, of which he is the CEO and chairman. The Foundation supports various humanitarian causes, as well as projects in the areas of agriculture, environmental conversation, and nutrition. Much of its funding is focused on Africa and Central America. In 2007, the HGBF launched the Global Water Initiative to provide clean water to underprivileged communities. Later, the Foundation entered a three-year initiative with the Nature Conservation Trust and South African National Parks to combat rhino poaching in South Africa. Elsewhere, the HGBF contributed $200 million to the development of Tibú, Colombia, home to the second-largest coca crop in the country.
Among his other philanthropic endeavors, Buffett founded the International Cheetah Conservation Foundation, and was a founding director of the Cougar Fund. He has been involved with such organizations as the National Geographic Council of Advisors, the Nature Conservancy, Ecotrust, and the Africa Foundation. In 2010, Buffett became a member of the Eastern Congo Initiative, which was founded by Ben Affleck. The next year, he partnered with the Bridgeway Foundation.
Books
Buffett has written a number of books about ecological conservation and the human condition. In 2001, he released "One the Edge: Balancing Earth's Resources," and in 2002 released "Tapestry of Life." Buffett subsequently co-wrote the cheetah-oriented book "Spots Before Your Eyes" with Ann van Dyk. His other books 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." Additionally, with his son Howard, he co-wrote the New York Times bestseller "Forty Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World."
Personal Life
In 1977, Buffett wed his first wife, Marcia Duncan. He married his second wife, Devon Morse, in 1983; they have a son named Howard who teaches at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. Previously, he worked in the White House under Barack Obama.
Buffett lives in Decatur, Illinois. He also oversees a 1,500-acre family farm in Pana, Illinois, as well as three research farms in Arizona and South Africa.
