Warren Buffett’s son Howard once chose the farm over Wall Street. Today, he chairs Berkshire

Warren Buffett, famously known as the Oracle of Omaha folr redefining the idea of American wealth, stepped down as chairman of the conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway on September 18. This marks end of a 61-year tenure that began when he took control of the struggling New England textile company.

The 96-year-old investment legend announced the move in a letter to shareholders, saying he would assume the role of chairman emeritus with immediate effect while continuing to serve on Berkshire’s board.

"Father Time always wins,” Buffett wrote in the letter. “He has, however, been generous with me. He has given me the opportunity to see Berkshire reach a point where I am more confident than ever about what lies ahead.”

Who is Howard Buffett, Warren Buffett’s son and Berkshire’s new Chairman?

Buffett’s 71-year-old son, Howard Graham Buffett, will take over as chairman. The appointment comes nine months after Greg Abel, Buffett’s longtime lieutenant, took over as chief executive, completing a succession process that has been closely followed across corporate America.

Passing the torch: Warren Buffett names son Howard as Berkshire chairman

Howard is the second of Buffett’s three children, between his sister Susie and younger brother Peter. Unlike his father, he showed little early interest in the world of investing and corporate finance. He attended Augustana College in Illinois, Chapman College in California and the University of California, Irvine, during the 1970s, but did not complete a degree at any of them, according to The Times.

His career eventually took a very different path. His career eventually took a very different path. In 1986, Howard began running a 400-acre farm north of Omaha that his father had bought for him. Howard's lifelong work in agriculture emphasizes sustainable food production alongside resource and soil conservation. Through his philanthropic foundation, he has travelled to over 150 nations, working at the intersection of land stewardship, food security, and humanitarian relief.

His involvement in global issues has taken him directly into conflict zones. Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Howard has made frequent trips to the region to document the war and fund emergency aid, agricultural recovery, and humanitarian projects.

Howard’s career extended far beyond agriculture into corporate governance and public service. He served as a vice president at the agribusiness firm Archer Daniels Midland, but stepped down in 1995 due to ethical concerns regarding the company's handling of price-fixing allegations. Over the years, his corporate governance resume expanded to include board seats at several major corporations, such as Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Enterprises, ConAgra Foods, and Lindsay Corporation.

In addition to his business ventures, Howard spent nearly a decade in public safety. After serving five years as an auxiliary deputy, he was elected sheriff of Macon County, Illinois, holding the position from 2017 to 2018. He continues to support the county's law enforcement efforts in the role of undersheriff.

Berkshire’s next era: Howard Buffett elected Chairman

Howard has 33 years of institutional knowledge and has served on Berkshire's board since 1993. As Warren highlighted in his message to shareholders, this extended tenure actually exceeds the preparation period he had before taking the helm of Berkshire as CEO at age 34.

Despite the high-profile title, Howard’s responsibilities as chairman are intentionally limited in scope.

Routine business operations and major capital decisions remain entirely under the purview of Greg Abel, who assumed the CEO role at the beginning of the year. Abel has already allocated $10 billion to Alphabet and executing a $6.8 billion buyout of homebuilder Taylor Morrison.

Howard will not be involved in operational strategy or deal-making. Instead, his core responsibility—as outlined by his father—is to safeguard Berkshire’s unique corporate culture and values rather than steer its investment direction.

"Greg runs the company; Howard will guard its culture and values, both worth more than anything on our balance sheet,” Warren wrote in the letter. He added, “Think of Howard as a policy the shareholders own and hope never to claim against.”

Abel struck a similar note in Berkshire’s own announcement of the move. “The culture Warren built and the values he championed will remain at the heart of Berkshire, and Howard will be their guardian,” he said, according to CNBC.

Howard has his own simple definition of the culture he has been asked to oversee. “It’s not rocket science,” he told the Wall Street Journal in January 2025. “The culture is to keep things simple, to do what you need to do but don’t do a lot of things you don’t need to do, treat people fairly, respect your managers, respect your shareholders. Tell them the bad news upfront, be honest.”

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.