WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- President Bush's top economic adviser has resigned as head of the Council of Economic Advisers to return to teaching, the White House said Wednesday.
N. Gregory Mankiw, who taught economics at Harvard University before joining the administration, submitted his resignation Feb. 9.
No replacement has been named.
"It has been a great honor and privilege to serve as the chairman of your Council of Economic Advisers," he said in his resignation letter. "But my two years in Washington is now coming to a close. It is time for me to return to my family, my students and my books."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Mankiw had "done an outstanding job" and the president appreciated his service.
McClellan said Mankiw had joined the administration making it clear he would only serve two years.
