# World leaders that quit **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 22, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636 "2012-02-22T17:02:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/1 "2012-02-22T17:02:35Z")
Has there ever been a leader of a sovereign state that has just quit? Obviously leaders stand down all the time in situations where they have little choice: they are about to face an obviously losing election and/or don’t have the support of their party any more, or are ill. Or someone just points a gun in their face. But what about just quitting while none of those things are happening and the leader is still apparently popular? I guess suicides count, but not suicides to avoid being captured / publicly killed. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/2 "2012-02-22T17:17:14Z")
Ever hear of a fellow named George Washington? He could have easily won a third term as President, but decided to step down. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/3 "2012-02-22T17:20:54Z")
[Edward VIII](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII). Head of state, though a monarch rather than an elected official. And, I’m not sure he entirely fits the OP’s criterion of “still apparently popular”. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/4 "2012-02-22T17:23:11Z")
[Harold Wilson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Wilson#Resignation). ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/5 "2012-02-22T17:26:05Z")
What exactly counts as leader? The guy who has the real power, or all the high-ranking people even if their office has less power than the other guy? [Christian Wulff](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Wulff) just resigned as President of Germany, but he was under considerable pressure; however his predecessor, [Horst Köhler](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst_K%C3%B6hler), just resigned in the middle of his term for no good reasons other than being in a snit because the press criticzed him. Which is a) basically their job as long as they don’t sling mud (which they didn’t) and b) wasn’t exactly news, since he was in his second term and should’ve grown a thick skin by then. To the public it came across like a 5-year-old quitting a game in tears because the other kids are “mean”. > [@](#): > > After getting no substantial support in the dispute, Köhler stepped down on 31 May 2010, issuing a statement saying “I declare my resignation from the Office of President, with immediate effect.”[7] The resignation was considered a “surprise”,[8] and both pundits and opposition politicians labeled it “an overreaction”.[9][10] The following days he was criticized for not being able to handle criticism while being a rigorous critic himself. His unprecedented act of immediate resignation was also considered showing a lack of respect for his position.[11] Do only leaders of countries count, or leaders of counties/states (as subdividions), too? Governors and their equivalents? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/6 "2012-02-22T17:32:49Z")
Does being [governor of a U.S. state](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_palin#Resignation) count? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/7 "2012-02-22T17:35:04Z")
Richard Nixon. Oops, I guess he wasn’t exactly popular at the time, was he? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/8 "2012-02-22T17:36:32Z")
Cincinnatus is famous for this. > **[Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnatus)** > > Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (c. 519 – c. 430 BC) was a Roman patrician, statesman, and military leader of the early Roman Republic who became a legendary figure of Roman virtue—particularly civic virtue—by the time of the late Republic. > Cincinnatus was an opponent of the rights of the plebeians (the common citizens) who fell into poverty because of his son Caeso Quinctius's violent opposition to their desire for a written code of equally enforced laws. Despite his relatively old age, he worked ... ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/9 "2012-02-22T17:56:06Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Cincinnatus is famous for this. > > [Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnatus) Damn you! Was going to post Cincinnatus. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/10 "2012-02-22T18:08:15Z")
Henry III of Poland voluntarily stepped down in order to rule France. Various US presidents stepped down voluntarily. Calvin Coolidge (famous for his “I do not choose to run for president in 1928” statement) easily could have been reelected, for instance. Grant stepped down after two terms, but did show interest in running again four years later. Teddy Roosevelt also stepped down, only to try again. Truman may be one of the few exceptions among presidents who had been elected to two terms. He was eligible (the 22nd Amendment had passed, but did not apply to him), but his popularity was very low at the end of his term. ---
**Author:** ![isaiahrobinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@isaiahrobinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isaiahrobinson)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/11 "2012-02-22T18:12:30Z")
Mahmoud Abbas was supposedly very close to quitting as leader of the Palestinian Authority [a couple of years ago](http://blogs.news.sky.com/middleeastblog/Post:61aa065d-497a-409f-a32e-424544d61535) due to his frustration over the peace process, although it may have just been a pressuring tactic. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/12 "2012-02-22T18:17:22Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > Ever hear of a fellow named George Washington? He could have easily won a third term as President, but decided to step down. Wow, genuinely didn’t know that. I’m not american, if that’s sufficient excuse. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/13 "2012-02-22T18:25:28Z")
Sulla and Diocletion are two classical examples. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/14 "2012-02-22T18:30:08Z")
**Charles V** of Spain, Holy Roman Emperor, Netherlands, Mexico, Peru, the Phillipines, etc. etc.; worn out from the Protestant Reformation and the Turks and Henry VIII in cahoots with Francis I, abdicated to a monastery where he could stick a pole out his bedroom window and fish all day while laid up with gout. But that let the mosquitos in, and he only enjoyed a couple of years of retirement before dying of malaria. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/15 "2012-02-22T18:38:53Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Henry III of Poland voluntarily stepped down in order to rule France. > > Various US presidents stepped down voluntarily. > > Calvin Coolidge (famous for his “I do not choose to run for president in 1928” statement) easily could have been reelected, for instance. > Grant stepped down after two terms, but did show interest in running again four years later. Teddy Roosevelt also stepped down, only to try again. > > Truman may be one of the few exceptions among presidents who had been elected to two terms. He was eligible (the 22nd Amendment had passed, but did not apply to him), but his popularity was very low at the end of his term. Lyndon Johnson also refused to run for a second elected term. While the war was unpopular, his work on civil rights was historical and he probably could have won reelection. I think he was just tired of the bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/16 "2012-02-22T18:40:26Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Truman may be one of the few exceptions among presidents who had been elected to two terms. He was eligible (the 22nd Amendment had passed, but did not apply to him), but his popularity was very low at the end of his term. Similarly, Lyndon Johnson dropped out of his 1968 re-election campaign, after a poor showing in New Hampshire, opposition to the Vietnam War, RFK’s entry into the race, and apparently his own concerns about his long-term health. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/17 "2012-02-22T18:48:54Z")
In this corner: **Chefguy** In that corner: \*\* Kenobi 65\*\* Touch gloves and come out fighting. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/18 "2012-02-22T18:52:17Z")
Menachem Begin resigned as Prime Minister of Israel in 1983, a year before the elections. He had been deeply disappointed in the failure of the the war in Lebanon and by the anti-war protests, and following his wife’s death, slipped into depression, eventually cutting himself off from everyone except his close family. His last official statement was “I can’t do this any more.” ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/19 "2012-02-22T19:01:10Z")
[Pope Celestine V](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Celestine_V) stepped down. A few other Popes have done so, but Celestine was the only one not to do so under duress. Washington’s decision to not run for a third term is widely known, but there isn’t really any reason several other Presidents couldn’t have run between Washington and Eisenhower. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636/20 "2012-02-22T19:22:11Z")
Queen Christina of Sweden in the 1600’s. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-that-quit/613636.md?page=2)