Roland Burris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roland Burris
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| United States Senator from Illinois |
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| In office January 12, 2009 – November 29, 2010 |
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| 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 |
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| Governor | Jim Edgar |
| Preceded by | Neil Hartigan |
| Succeeded by | Jim Ryan |
| 3rd Comptroller of Illinois | |
| In office January 8, 1979 – January 14, 1991 |
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| Governor | James R. Thompson |
| Preceded by | Michael Bakalis |
| Succeeded by | Dawn Clark Netsch |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Roland Wallace Burris
August 3, 1937 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
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Roland Burris mausoleum in 2008
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Burris speaking in 2009
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Senator Burris meeting with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor in June 2009
