Publicly, They Gave Same Private Reason for Leaving

A partial who’s-who of family-over-job resignations:

* Republican National Committee chairman Jim Gilmore (December 2001).

* CNN chairman Tom Johnson (June 2001).

* Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.), one of the rebels who tried unsuccessfully to topple Speaker Newt Gingrich (May 2001).

* Yahoo Vice President Savio Chow. A Yahoo spokeswoman explained that Chow “has a very beautiful wife, and he wants to spend more time with her” (February 2001). Chow’s departure was followed by the resignations of Yahoo sales and marketing chief Anil Singh (March 2001) and company president Jeff Mallett (January 2002).

* Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin (May 1998).

* National Public Radio boss Delano Lewis, who said he also planned to teach and write a book (April 1998).

* FCC chairman Reed Hundt (November 1997).

* Los Angeles Times Publisher Richard T. Schlosberg (September 1997).

* Clinton White House counsel Jack Quinn (December 1996).

* Labor Secretary Robert Reich (November 1996).

* Swedish Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson, midterm, saying he had fulfilled most of his goals (March 1996).

* Sen. Sam Nunn, a Georgia Democrat (October 1995).

* American Express Co. president Jeff Stiefler (September 1995).

* CIA director R. James Woolsey, while under fire for his handling of the Aldrich Ames spy case (January 1995).

* Magellan Fund chief Peter Lynch, who later told the Wall Street Journal that hundreds of men sent him letters praising his decision to spend more time with his wife and daughters (June 1990).

* Paramount Pictures chairman Brandon Tartikoff, after his 9-year-old daughter was injured in a car accident (October 1992).

* NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle (March 1989).

* Running back Earl Campbell of the New Orleans Saints, at age 31 (August 1986).

* OSHA chief Robert A. Rowland, nine hours after an ethics panel cleared him of conflict-of-interest charges involving stock holdings. In addition to spending more time with his family, Rowland said he wanted to pursue “hunting and fishing” in Texas (July 1985).

* La Canada Mayor Thomas Curtis, with three years left in his term (January 1985).

*Sources: Orlando Sentinel, Associated Press, Roll Call, Washington Post, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Industry Standard, Wall Street Journal