Roland Burris facts for kids

Roland Burris
Roland Burris
United States Senator; from Illinois
	In office; January 12, 2009 – November 29, 2010
Appointed by	Rod Blagojevich
Preceded by	Barack Obama
Succeeded by	Mark Kirk
39th Attorney General of Illinois
	In office; January 14, 1991 – January 9, 1995
Governor	Jim Edgar
Preceded by	Neil Hartigan
Succeeded by	Jim Ryan
3rd Comptroller of Illinois
	In office; January 8, 1979 – January 14, 1991
Governor	James R. Thompson
Preceded by	Michael Bakalis
Succeeded by	Dawn Clark Netsch
Personal details
Born	Roland Wallace Burris ; August 3, 1937 (age 82); Centralia, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Berlean Miller
Children	2
Education	Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (BA); Howard University (JD)

Roland Wallace Burris (born August 3, 1937) is an American politician and attorney who is a former United States Senator from the state of Illinois and a member of the Democratic Party.

In 1978, Burris was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Illinois, when he was elected Illinois Comptroller. He served in that office until his election as Illinois Attorney General in 1990. Since then, he has unsuccessfully run for office four more times.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama as the junior senator from Illinois. The appointment was controversial, as the governor was already under investigation and there were rumors of him being paid for the appointment. Prior to Burris's appointment, Obama was the U.S. Senate's only African American member; Obama resigned his Senate seat after being elected President of the United States.

Images for kids

Roland Burris mausoleum in 2008
Burris speaking in 2009
Senator Burris meeting with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor in June 2009