Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers resigns as Harvard professor after Epstein emails

Janet Lorin and Greg Ryan, Bloomberg News on Feb 25, 2026

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Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard University and ex-Treasury Secretary, is retiring from his Harvard professorship, following revelations that his ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were deeper than previously known.

“I have made the difficult decision to retire from my Harvard professorship at the end of this academic year,” Summers said in a statement on Wednesday. “I will always be grateful to the thousands of students and colleagues I have been privileged to teach and work with since coming to Harvard as a graduate student 50 years ago.”

Summers, 71, stepped back from public commitments in November following details of extended correspondence between him and Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 after being arrested on charges of sex trafficking minors. Epstein’s death was ruled a suicide.

The Harvard Crimson first reported the statement from Summers.

The Department of Justice has released millions of documents containing emails and text messages that show how Epstein cultivated ties with senior leaders in business, politics and higher education. While some of his connections to figures such as billionaires Leon Black and Leslie Wexner were known for years, the correspondence has revealed his network was far broader than previously understood.

The correspondence between Epstein and Summers showed they communicated for years about topics ranging from academia, relationships and President Donald Trump. Summers, Treasury Secretary from 1999 to 2001, said in a statement late last year that he was “deeply ashamed” of his actions. He’s one of several high-profile leaders that have been forced to retreat from public life following the disclosures.

Harvard said in November it would undertake a new investigation into the school’s ties with Epstein.

Spokesperson Jason Newton said in a statement on Wednesday that Kennedy School Dean Jeremy Weinstein accepted Summers’ resignation from his leadership position as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.

“Free of formal responsibility, as President Emeritus and a retired professor, I look forward in time to engaging in research, analysis, and commentary on a range of global economic issues,” Summers said in his statement.

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