Resignation

A resignation is the formal act of giving up one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game of chess. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down. An employee who choses to leave a permanent position is considered a resignation, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term is not. Abdication is the equivalent of resignation of a reigning monarch or pope, or other holder of a non-political, hereditary or similar position.

A resignation is a personal decision to exit a position, though outside pressure exists in many cases. For example, Richard Nixon resigned from the office of President of the United States in 1974 following the Watergate scandal, when he was almost certain to have been impeached by the United States Congress.

Resignation can be used politically, as in the Philippines during July 2005 when ten cabinet officials resigned in order to put pressure on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to do the same over allegations of electoral fraud. Although government officials may tender their resignations, they are not always accepted. Alternatively, resignation as a procedure may be used as a political weapon. In 1995, the British Prime Minister, John Major, resigned as Leader of the Conservative Party in order to contest a leadership election with the aim of silencing his critics within the party and reassert his authority. Having resigned, he stood again and was re-elected.

For many public figures, primarily departing politicians, resignation is an opportunity to deliver a valedictory resignation speech in which they can elucidate the circumstances of their exit from office and in many cases deliver a powerful speech which often commands much attention. This can be used to great political effect, particularly as, subsequent to resigning, government ministers are no longer bound by collective responsibility and can speak with greater freedom about current issues.

List of notable resignations

• 1795 - John Jay, Chief Justice of the United States
• 1800 - Oliver Ellsworth, Chief Justice of the United States
• 1817 - Daniel D. Tompkins, Governor of New York
• 1829 - Martin Van Buren, Governor of New York
• 1832 - John C. Calhoun, Vice President of the United States
• 1848 - Francis R. Shunk, Governor of Pennsylvania
• 1885 - Grover Cleveland, Governor of New York
• 1898 - John W. Griggs, Governor of New Jersey
• 1910 - Charles Evans Hughes, Governor of New York
• 1912 - Sun Yat-sen, Provisional President of China, in favor of Yuan Shikai
• 1913 - Woodrow Wilson, Governor of New Jersey
• 1942 - Herbert H. Lehman, Governor of New York
• 1947 - Edward Martin, Governor of Pennsylvania
• 1947 - Walter E. Edge, Governor of New Jersey
• 1963 - John Profumo, British Secretary of State for War, after misleading the British House of Commons in relation to his controversial personal life
• 1969 - Charles de Gaulle, President of France, following defeat in a constitutional referendum
• 1973
  • Spiro T. Agnew, Vice President of the United States, over allegations of financial irregularities
  • Nelson A. Rockefeller, Governor of New York
• 1974 - Richard Nixon, President of the United States, after becoming mired in the Watergate scandal
• 1984 - Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
• 1990
  • Geoffrey Howe, British Deputy Prime Minister, over differences with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher over government policy on the European single currency
  • Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, after narrowly failing to win the first round of a leadership contest
• 1991 - Albert Reynolds, Irish Minister for Finance
• 1993 - Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada, retiring from politics.
• 1994
  • Morihiro Hosokawa, Prime Minister of Japan
  • Tsutomu Hata, Prime Minister of Japan
• 1995 - John Major, British Prime Minister (resigning as leader of the Conservative Party)
• 1997 - Fife Symington, Governor of Arizona
• 1999 - Boris Yeltsin, President of the Russian Federation, retiring from politics
• 2000 - George W. Bush, Governor of Texas, resigned to take office as President of the United States
• 2001
  • Christine Todd Whitman, Governor of New Jersey
  • Mikhail Saakashvili, Georgian Minister for Justice
  • Tom Ridge, Governor of Pennsylvania
  • Henry McLeish, First Minister of Scotland, over allegations of improper financial dealings
• 2003
  • Robin Cook, British Leader of the House of Commons (formerly Foreign Secretary), over his opposition to the UK's involvement in the invasion of Iraq
  • Clare Short, UK minister for International development, resigned because of the Iraq war- now a backbench MP
  • Christine Todd Whitman, Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency
  • Eduard Shevardnadze, President of Georgia, after extensive public demonstrations against him
  • Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, retiring from politics.
• 2004
  • Jean Chretien, Prime Minister of Canada, retiring from politics.
  • George Tenet, Director of US Central Intelligence , officially for 'personal reasons', resigned after criticism of the CIA's approach to intelligence used to support the 2003 Iraq War
  • James McGreevey, Governor of New Jersey
• 2005
  • Carlos Mesa, President of Bolivia (rejected by National Congress)
  • Tom DeLay, Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, from his leadership position while under investigation.
  • Michael Brown, Director of Federal Emergency Management Agency, after heavy criticism of his handling of emergency management operations in the wake of hurricane Katrina.
  • Greg Sorbara, Finance Minister of Ontario, resigned while under investigation.
  • David Blunkett, British Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, resigning after breaking the ministerial code of conduct regarding private business appointments, becoming the second minister to resign twice from the Blair government.
• 2006
  • Charles Kennedy, leader of the British Liberal Democrats, under pressure from his party after admitting an alcohol problem.
  • Prince Lavaka Ata 'Ulukalala, Prime Minister of Tonga, after public demonstrations in favour of reducing royal influence in politics.
  • Porter Goss, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency offered no explanation beyond saying it's "just one of those mysteries."
  • Ayaan Hirsi Ali, member of the lower house of the Dutch parliament.