Roland Burris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roland Burris
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Official portrait, 2009
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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 | Jim 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 | 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 lawyer. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He served as the Attorney General of Illinois from 1991 to 1995.
In January 2009, Roland Burris was chosen to be a United States Senator. He took the place of Barack Obama, who had resigned to become president of the United States. Burris was a Senator until November 2010.
Roland Burris made history in 1978. He was the first African American person to be elected to a statewide office in Illinois. This happened when he became the Illinois Comptroller. He held this job until he was elected Illinois Attorney General in 1990.
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed Burris to the Senate. This decision was talked about a lot because the governor was already under investigation. Burris became the only African American member in the U.S. Senate at that time.
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Early Life and Education
Roland Burris was born and grew up in Centralia, a small town in southern Illinois. His family's history goes back to American slaves in the Southern United States.
He finished Centralia High School in 1955. He then went to Southern Illinois University Carbondale. In 1959, he earned a degree in political science. He also studied International Law in Germany. Later, he earned his law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1963.
Roland Burris is married to Berlean M. Burris. They have two adult children, Rolanda and Roland II. He also has a grandson named Roland T. Burris.
Burris has built a special tomb, called a mausoleum, for himself at Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago. His tombstone says "TRAIL BLAZER" and lists his achievements.
Career Before the Senate
After law school, Burris worked for the U.S. Treasury Department. He was a National Bank Examiner. He traveled around the Midwest, checking banks in states like Illinois and Michigan.
From 1964 to 1973, he worked at Continental Illinois National Bank. He held several roles, including vice-president. In 1973, Illinois Governor Dan Walker appointed him as Director of the Department of Central Management Services. He served in this role until 1977.
Burris also worked as the National Executive Director for Operation PUSH for a short time in 1977. He also had his own law practice.
In 1985, Burris was chosen as Vice-Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. This decision caused some discussion within the party.
Illinois State Politics
Roland Burris first tried to become Illinois Comptroller in 1976 but did not win. In 1978, he ran again and won the election. He was re-elected as Comptroller in 1982 and 1986. He was the first African American to be elected to a statewide office in Illinois.
While serving as Comptroller, Burris also ran for U.S. Senate in 1984 but was not successful.
In 1990, he was elected Illinois Attorney General. He served from 1991 to 1995. In this role, he oversaw more than 500 lawyers. He was the second African American ever elected to a state attorney general office in the United States.
In 1993, Burris helped organize Chicago's first Gun Turn-in Day. This event encouraged people to turn in their handguns.
In 1994, he ran for Governor of Illinois but did not win the Democratic nomination. He also ran for mayor of Chicago in 1995 as an independent candidate but lost. In 1998 and 2002, he again sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Illinois.
Life Outside Politics
Roland Burris is a manager and CEO of Burris & Lebed Consulting, LLC. This company was started in 2002.
He even appeared briefly in the Hollywood movie The Fugitive. In a scene filmed in Chicago, Burris can be seen waving to people during a St. Patrick's Day parade.
Serving in the U.S. Senate
Becoming a Senator
On December 14, 2008, Roland Burris suggested he could be a temporary replacement for Barack Obama's Senate seat. Obama had left the Senate to become President. Burris said he would not run for election if he was appointed.
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich announced on December 30, 2008, that he was appointing Burris to the Senate seat. The appointment was officially recorded in Illinois.
However, there was a disagreement about whether the appointment was valid. The Secretary of the United States Senate initially said the appointment was not valid. This was because the Illinois Secretary of State had not signed the certification form.
On January 9, 2009, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the governor's signature was enough. It said the Illinois Secretary of State's signature was not needed for the appointment to be valid. After this ruling, Burris was able to get the correct paperwork.
On January 12, 2009, Senate leaders decided to seat Burris. He was officially sworn in by Vice President Dick Cheney on January 15, 2009.
There were some questions raised later about Burris's statements regarding his contact with the governor's team before his appointment. The Senate Ethics Committee looked into the matter. They later stated that while no ethics charges would be pursued, Burris should have been more careful with the information he provided.
Senate Work
Roland Burris was the only African American Senator during his time in office. Before him, other African American Senators included Barack Obama. After Burris left office, it was over two years until the next African American Senator, Tim Scott, took office in 2013.
Committee Roles
As a Senator, Burris worked on several important committees:
- Committee on Armed Services
- This committee deals with military matters and national defense.
- Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- This committee focuses on keeping the country safe and how the government works.
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- This committee works on issues important to military veterans.
Plans for the 2010 Election
Roland Burris initially considered running for a full six-year term in the Senate in 2010. However, he later decided not to run.
On July 10, 2010, Burris officially announced that he would retire when his term ended. He said that the high cost of running a campaign was a major reason for his decision. He felt it was better to serve the people of Illinois than to spend time raising money for an election. His term ended on November 29, 2010. Mark Kirk was sworn in as his successor.
See also
