1 December 2004

Ridge resigns as Homeland Security chief

The following article is excerpted from the 30 November 2004 edition of “The Journal of Commerce”.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge today resigned as leader of the government department created to protect the nation from terrorists after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"After more than 22 consecutive years of public service, it is time to give personal and family matters a higher priority," Ridge said in a letter sent to President Bush Tuesday. "With your concurrence, it is my desire to continue to serve as Secretary until February 1, 2005 or until the Senate confirms my successor."…

Bush picked Ridge to be the nation's first secretary of Homeland Security. He oversaw the integration of 20 federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, Coast Guard and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, including 180,000 employees, set up the five-color terror alert system and initiated the practice of fingerprinting foreign visitors to the U.S. No terrorist attacks occurred during the three years Ridge served.

White House domestic security adviser Frances Fragos Townsend is a top candidate to replace Ridge, Newsweek magazine reported earlier this month. Other possible successors include former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik and former U.S. Representative Asa Hutchinson, current undersecretary for border and transportation security at DHS, the magazine said. …