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British statesman Winston Churchill, who led Great Britain in an alliance with the United States and the Soviet Union that defeated the Axis powers in the Second World War, resigned on April 5, 1955, after his party's electoral defeat by the Labor Party. He remained in Parliament until 1964, the year before his death.
Mahatma Gandhi resigned from the Indian National Congress on October 28, 1934, to pursue his own vision of an independent India. Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, by a Hindu extremist who believed he'd been too conciliatory to the Indian subcontinent's large Muslim minority.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's 11-year premiership ended abruptly and embarrassingly on November 22, 1990, after a challenge was launched to her leadership by members of her own cabinet. She's pictured with husband Denis leaving 10 Downing Street in London after the axe fell.
The decision by Pope Benedict XVI to resign as pontiff on February 11, 2013, made history. His resignation was the first by a pope since Gregory XII in 1415, and the first on a pope's initiative since Celestine V in 1294. Pope Benedict cited a "lack of strength of mind and body" due to his advanced age as the reason for stepping down.
Steve Jobs resigned—some say was fired—as CEO of Apple Inc. in 1985 following a long-running dispute with other top executives. In 1997, Jobs returned to the company he cofounded to cement his reputation as one of the most revolutionary pioneers of the computer age. On August 24, 2011, just six weeks before his death, Steve Jobs announced his resignation as CEO.
As early as 1996, Nelson Mandela hinted that he would not be seeking a second term as president of South Africa. On June 14, 1999, he resigned from office, setting an example of a peaceful transition of power.
Gaius Julius Caesar first assumed the role of dictator in 49 BCE. However, once he had secured his election as consul for the following year, he resigned after just 11 days and retired to private life. He returned to politics in February 44 BCE as dictator perpetuo (life dictatorship). On March 15 of that year, Julius Caesar was assassinated.
Ronald Reagan resigned as governor of California in 1975, midway through his second term, to focus on his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. He eventually served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989.
The resignation of Mikhail Gorbachev as Soviet president on December 25, 1991, effectively marked the end of the USSR. He announced his decision in a live televised address to the nation, an event that also drew to a close 74 years of Soviet history.
His abdication of the throne on April 11, 1814, was the last great act of Napoleon Bonaparte. By resigning as emperor after facing military defeat and pressure from European powers during the War of the Sixth Coalition, Napoleon sealed his own fate, a destiny ratified by the Treaty of Fontainebleau that saw the crestfallen former leader of France exiled to Elba.
Robert F. Kennedy resigned as attorney general of the United States on September 3, 1964, to run for the US Senate representing New York, a seat he won the following year and which he held until his assassination in June 1968, when he was running for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The end of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's 17-year scandal-plagued domination of Italian politics came with his resignation on November 13, 2011, amid a crippling economic and financial crisis.
Thabo Mbeki resigned his position as president of South Africa on September 24, 2008, after the country's ruling party formally requested he relinquish power amid allegations of misconduct.
On October 14, 1964, Nikita Khrushchev resigned as premier of the USSR after a coup orchestrated by his protégé and deputy, Leonid Brezhnev. Khrushchev's ousting was a key moment in the history of the Soviet Union.
Charles de Gaulle resigned as president of France on April 28, 1969, following defeat in a referendum on political reforms. De Gaulle was previously an army officer and statesman who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
As he lost his grip on fascism and Italy, Benito Mussolini had no other option but to resign as prime minister on July 26, 1943. In September, German paratroopers and Waffen-SS commandos rescued the deposed dictator from custody in the Hotel Campo Imperatore. After the raid, Adolf Hitler put Mussolini in charge of a puppet state in German-occupied northern Italy. He was eventually captured by Italian communist partisans and executed along with his mistress, Clara Petacci.
In one of the biggest scandals in British political history, John Profumo, the secretary of state for war, resigned his position on June 5, 1963, after admitting that he had lied to his wife, his cabinet colleagues, and the nation about an affair with a 19-year-old model, Christine Keeler. Public interest was heightened by reports that Keeler may have been simultaneously involved with a Soviet naval attaché, thereby creating a possible national security risk.
Jacinda Ardern's sudden resignation as prime minister of New Zealand surprised and saddened the international community. Announcing her decision on January 19, 2023, at a press conference, Ardern admitted she "no longer had enough in the tank" to do the job.
Vice President of the United States Spiro Agnew resigned on October 10, 1973, after answering a plea of no contest to a charge of tax evasion while he was governor of Maryland. Agnew, who was serving under Richard Nixon at the time, is pictured announcing his decision to news crews outside the Federal Court building in Baltimore.
Having already resigned as Conservative Party leader on July 7, 2022, Boris Johnson was then ousted as prime minister on September 6. On June 9, 2023, Johnson quit as a member of parliament amid allegations that he knowingly or recklessly misled parliament over Partygate—a political scandal about gatherings of government and Conservative Party staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
American NFL legend Jim Brown stunned sports fans when he announced he was quitting football to devote himself to acting and promoting racial equality. He did this on July 13, 1966, while filming 'The Dirty Dozen' on location in England. Brown told reporters that "after much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that I will retire this season. My ambition right now is to devote as much time as possible to the National Negro Industrial and Economic Union project which stresses full participation of Negroes in the mainstream of the American economy."
On January 26, 2024, a weary-looking and at times emotional Jürgen Klopp announced that he would be leaving Premier League club Liverpool at the end of the current season. The resignation of the German manager, widely regarded as one of the best in the world, will bring to an end a hugely successful nine-year spell at the English club.
Revelations that surfaced in 1986 of his role as an intelligence officer in Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht during the Second World War, plus allegations of participation in Nazi atrocities, prompted Kurt Waldheim not to seek reelection in 1992 as president of Austria. He had already been banned from entering the United States under suspicion of war crimes.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak announced his resignation during a press conference on December 9, 2000, after coming under harsh criticism from political opponents and members of his own party for his handling of two and a half months of Israeli-Palestinian violence. He later quit as Labor leader and as a member of the Knesset.
On March 16, 1976, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson caused a political sensation when he announced he was to resign, just over two years into his second stint as prime minister. He's pictured announcing his resignation at a press conference, held at the Ministry of Defense in London.
After more than eight years as First Minister, spanning three separate Scottish parliament terms, Nicola Sturgeon unexpectedly tendered her resignation from office on March 28, 2023. She was subsequently arrested by police investigating allegations of financial misconduct, but later released without charge.
On December 23, 1783, General George Washington resigned his commission to Congress as commander in chief of the army at Annapolis, Maryland, and returned to civilian life. Six years later, he was the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797.
Roman patrician, statesman, and military leader of the early Roman Republic, Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus is celebrated for leaving his plow standing in a field, saying farewell to his wife, and leading the Romans to victory against the Aequians in 458 BCE. Fifteen days later with the crisis resolved, Cincinnatus resigned his commission and returned to his plow.
West German Chancellor Willy Brandt was forced to resign on May 6, 1974, in the wake of the so-called Guillaume affair. One of Brandt's personal assistants, Günter Guillaume, was revealed as a spy for the East German state. The subsequent publicity surrounding the scandal made Brandt's position untenable. Guillaume is seen here in sunglasses sitting behind Brandt.
Hungarian President Katalin Novák resigned on February 10, 2024, after coming under fire for pardoning a man convicted of helping to cover up abuse in a children's home. She announced her departure in a televised message.
Sources: (Britannica) (Newsweek) (The New York Times) (The American Presidency Project) (The Corporate Governance Institute) (Politico) (Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training) (The Guardian) (NBC News) (Institute for Government)
On the evening of August 8, 1974, President Nixon addressed the nation and announced his intention to resign amid the Watergate scandal. The following morning, August 9, Nixon submitted a signed letter of resignation to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, becoming the only US president to resign from office. Nixon is pictured at the White House with his family after his resignation. Watergate remains the most notorious political scandal in American history.
History has recorded some extraordinary falls from grace, instances where the only option left for an individual is to resign. Politicians are often masters in the art of quitting, usually in the wake of a scandal or suchlike. But there are also occasions where VIPs and celebrities have thrown in the towel on points of principal, or as an example of civic virtue. And sometimes stepping down is simply because of burnout. Whatever the reasons, when a prominent person chooses to jump before being pushed, it's guaranteed to make headlines. So, what are some of the most famous resignations to make the news?
Click through and resign yourself to these well-known stand-downs and walkouts.
The most shocking resignations in history
Notable names who resigned before facing the axe
LIFESTYLE Society
History has recorded some extraordinary falls from grace, instances where the only option left for an individual is to resign. Politicians are often masters in the art of quitting, usually in the wake of a scandal or suchlike. But there are also occasions where VIPs and celebrities have thrown in the towel on points of principal, or as an example of civic virtue. And sometimes stepping down is simply because of burnout. Whatever the reasons, when a prominent person chooses to jump before being pushed, it's guaranteed to make headlines. So, what are some of the most famous resignations to make the news?
Click through and resign yourself to these well-known stand-downs and walkouts.