Tom Ridge, the first US homeland security secretary, announced his resignation on Tuesday.

At a new conference in the afternoon, Ridge said he informed President George W. Bush of the decision in the morning and that he would stay in his job till Feb. 1, 2005, unless his successor is confirmed by the Senate earlier.

Describing his decision as "very difficult," Ridge said he "just want to step back and pay a little more attention to personal matters."

Ridge's departure did not come as a surprise as it had long been reported that he was planning to quit from the Bush administration for personal reasons.

Ridge, 59, became the first homeland security secretary in January 2003 when the department was established, which comprised of 22 preexisting agencies including the Coast Guard, Secret Service, Customs Service, and Immigration and Naturalization Service, employing some 170,000 people.

The creation of the department was the most significant government reorganization in the United States in more than a half-century, since the Defense Department was created just after World War II.

A former congressman, Ridge stepped down as governor of Pennsylvania in October 2001, soon after the Sept. 11 attacks, to become the first director of the Office of Homeland Security.

It was not known immediately who would replace him. But news reports here cited three Republicans, as mentioned by administration officials and homeland defense experts, as likely candidates, including former Virginia governor James S. Gilmore, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and White House homeland security adviser Frances Townsend.

Potential choices also included Adm. James Loy, the deputy secretary, and Asa Hutchinson, the undersecretary for border and transportation security.

(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2004)