CUMMING — State Rep. Mark Hamilton, the senior member of Forsyth County’s state legislative delegation, announced Monday night that he was leaving the District 24 post he had held since 2007 for a private sector job in Tennessee.

Hamilton made the announcement, which ended several days of speculation that he might step down, in an email to friends and supporters.

In it, the high-ranking Republican from Cumming, who has held various leadership positions during his House tenure, wrote that the decision came with “mixed emotions and feelings.”

“I announced earlier today to my House colleagues at the Capitol that I am resigning my position and I then delivered my official notice to Governor [Nathan] Deal’s office per state law,” Hamilton wrote.

“I have truly enjoyed serving the citizens of Georgia and representing the citizens of Cumming and Forsyth County … I do not take this honor lightly, and it is difficult for me to leave this duty and to acknowledge that I will no longer have that honor.”

Hamilton could not be reached for comment Monday or Tuesday. In his email, however, he went on to note that he and his wife, Sandy, arrived at the decision “after much prayer and family discussion” and were looking forward to job opportunity that requires him to relocate to Nashville.

“Accordingly, I felt the most appropriate thing to do is to resign my position now since I will begin focusing on the new opportunity even though I still currently live in the district,” the email states.

The message did not include details of what Hamilton’s new job entails.

Hamilton is the founder, president and CEO of H&H Staffing Services Inc., a staffing firm serving business throughout north Georgia, and AppliedWisdom LLC, an executive coaching and consulting firm.

Hamilton secured a fifth two-year term in the legislature in May 2014 by winning the Republican primary. No Democrat qualified to run against him in November.

It was not immediately clear when a special election would be held to fill the remaining 18 months of his term. District 24 covers an area that includes Cumming and the middle of Forsyth County.

Cumming is holding a special election June 16 to fill a vacancy on its city council. However, that could prove too quick of a turnaround to hold the state House election on that same date.

But officials have indicated that the final say on the election date rests with Deal, the governor, who could place it on June 16.