Douglas Warner III, chairman of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., announced today that he will retire by year-end. William Harrison Jr., the firm’s president and CEO, will succeed Warner.

Warner has been chairman since the creation of J.P. Morgan Chase in December 2000. “The challenging job of integrating J.P. Morgan and Chase has been successfully concluded, and a superb platform is now in place to build the premier global financial institution,” said Warner. “With my assignment completed, it seems appropriate on the first anniversary of last September’s merger announcement to set out on the next phase of my career. The company is in excellent hands under Bill Harrison’s leadership and is well equipped to perform for its shareholders, customers and employees in the years ahead.”

Warner, 55, spent 33 years at J.P. Morgan and was chairman, president, and CEO for the six years before last year’s merger with the Chase Manhattan Corp. He joined J.P. Morgan in 1968 after graduating from Yale University, and then held increasingly senior management positions both in London and New York.

Harrison, 58, has been president and CEO of J.P. Morgan Chase since its formation. Prior to that, he was chairman and CEO of the Chase Manhattan Corp.