Roland Burris

Roland Burris (born Aug. 3, 1937, Centralia, Ill., U.S.) is an American Democratic politician who was the first African American elected to statewide office in Illinois. His appointment as U.S. senator (2009–10) to fill the seat vacated by Pres. Barack Obama made him the fourth African American to serve in the Senate since Reconstruction. His appointment, however, was not without controversy. Burris grew up in downstate Illinois, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in political...