Roland Burris

Roland Wallace Burris ( born August 3, 1937 in Centralia, Illinois) is an American lawyer and politician (Democratic Party). He was from January 2009 to November 2010 U.S. Senator for the state of Illinois. Like its predecessor, Barack Obama, he also was the only one in his time African-American member of the Senate.

Life

Burris studied until 1959 political science at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and then moved to Howard University in Washington DC, where he earned the 1963 academic degree of Juris Doctor. After his studies, he was first in accounting and banking of Illinois operates, among others, from 1978 to 1990 as set up by the State of Illinois Comptroller ( Auditor ). In 1984 he competed unsuccessfully for his party's nomination for election to the U.S. Senate. From 1991 to 1995 he was the successor of Neil Hartigan Attorney General of Illinois. In the years 1994, 1998 and 2002, he sought in each case without success to the nomination as the Democratic candidate for governor.

December 31, 2008 Burris was from Rod Blagojevich, Governor of Illinois, was appointed successor to Barack Obama, who was elected as U.S. president. In January 2009 he took up his post, where his appointment was disputed by the little later because of corruption compulsory retirement and then also condemned to prison Blagojevich. In the 2010 Senate elections Burris did not run again, and Republican Mark Kirk was elected his successor. On November 29, 2010 Burris resigned from the Congress.