Eric H. Holder Jr., the nation’s first black attorney general and an original member of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet, announced his resignation Thursday.
The 63 year old, who was installed as AG in a 2009 ceremony at the George Washington University, intends to remain with the U.S. Department of Justice until a successor is confirmed.
“I come to this moment with very mixed emotions," Mr. Holder said Thursday afternoon at a White House news conference, "proud of what the men and women of the Department of Justice have accomplished over the last six years, and at the same time, very sad that I will not be a formal part of the great things this department and this president will accomplish over the last two."
Mr. Holder, the 82nd attorney general and the fourth-longest tenured AG in history, served on the GW Board of Trustees from 1996 to 1997 and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the university in 1998.
He had made several visits to campus in recent years, including a 2012 event at Lisner Auditorium to raise awareness of children’s mental health in which he detailed some of the efforts of the Justice Department to combat youth violence.
