Lawrence H. Summers, a former U.S. Treasury Secretary, is resigning from his teaching and leadership positions at Harvard University this May after the ongoing semester ends, following the recent news of his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein coming to light.
Summers’ name is among the biggest names to face a fallout this year amidst the Epstein case. Lawrence’s departure from the university marks the end of a five-decade career.
The resignation, announced Wednesday, concludes an internal university review prompted by the release of thousands of emails between Summers and Epstein.
The correspondence, dating as late as 2019, revealed a close personal and professional bond that persisted long after Epstein’s 2008 conviction.
Read: Bill Gates apologizes over ties with Epstein, admits affairs with two women
In the messages, Epstein frequently offered personal advice and described himself as a “wingman” to the former Harvard president.
In addition to his faculty role as the Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Summers has stepped down as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
While Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton confirmed the university accepted the resignation in connection with the document review, Summers described the choice to retire as “difficult” in a personal statement.
The 71-year-old economist had already been on leave since late 2025, when the first wave of emails surfaced. During that time, he also resigned from the board of OpenAI and several other public commitments, expressing “great regret” for his association with Epstein, which he termed a “major error in judgment.”
Summers’ exit represents a final break from the institution he led as president from 2001 to 2006. Though he will retain the title of President Emeritus, the university confirmed he will not resume teaching or take on new student advisees before his formal retirement this summer.