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WASHINGTON Eric Holder, who made history as the nations first black attorney general and became an icon among liberals but a divisive figure for many conservatives, announced Thursday that he would resign.

In an emotional ceremony at the White House, President Barack Obama paid tribute to one of the last original members of his Cabinet and a close personal friend, calling Holders departure bittersweet. Holder, at one point fighting back tears, cited a series of actions he said his Justice Department took to empower the powerless. They ranged from fighting for voting rights to reforming criminal sentences for low-level drug offenders.

I have loved the Department of Justice ever since, as a young boy, I watched Robert Kennedy prove during the civil rights movement how the department can and must always be a force for that which is right, Holder said.

He plans to remain in office until his successor is confirmed.

At odds with foes

The nations fourth-longest-serving attorney general, Holder leaves with a complicated legacy. It is one in which the very qualities that have endeared him to liberals such as his pursuit of legal equality for gays and lesbians and his focus on strengthening civil rights protections have often left him at odds with Obamas opponents.

He tried to revitalize the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division and spoke with unusual candor about racial matters, becoming the chief surrogate on race for a black president who felt less comfortable tackling the sensitive issue in public.

The wildly disparate reactions to Holders departure Thursday captured the complex nature of his tenure. Throughout the day, praise for Holder poured in from Democrats, civil rights leaders and others. They called him an influential proponent of civil liberties and sentencing and drug law reforms who also helped protect Americans from terrorist attacks.

His resignation is a great loss for any American seeking justice in our society, said Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a revered figure of the civil rights movement.

But Holders pending departure immediately reignited the partisan battles over his legacy that marked much of his nearly six-year tenure.

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Emotional Holder leaving AG post with mixed legacy