SPRINGFIELD - Roland Burris spent 16 years as a top Democratic official in Illinois and became the state's first African-American to hold a statewide office, serving as both state comptroller and Illinois attorney general.

But Burris, 71, lost three bids to become governor, including one primary battle against Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2002. After that loss, Burris became part of Blagojevich's transition team.

Blagojevich's appointment of Burris to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama sends a veteran of Illinois politics into the fire that has surrounded Blagojevich since his Dec. 9 arrest on corruption charges.

"I welcome the challenge that awaits us in the 111th congress," Burris said Tuesday. "I have faith in the record that I have forged over the past four decades, and I am proud of my accomplishments as a public servant."

Should Senate leaders accept him, Burris would also be elevated to a Senate seat he failed to win in a 1984 run.

Burris began his run with state government as director of the state's chief purchasing agency in 1973.

In 1979, Burris was elected Illinois comptroller, becoming the first black statewide official in Illinois. He spent 12 years in the job before winning election as attorney general in 1991.

During that time, Burris served in leadership of the Democratic National Committee.

In his most recent bid for governor in 2002, Burris was considered an early frontrunner for the state's top job, often touting his roots as a Centralia native to voters downstate. Eventually, though, he was outspent and overtaken by Blagojevich in the three-way race.

"Decaturites, I am a Downstater," Burris told a Macon County crowd in 2001. "I was born and raised in Centralia, Illinois. You won't have to tell me where Decatur is."

Burris was born in 1937 in Centralia. He graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1959 and got his law degree from Howard University Law School in 1963.

Now, Burris heads the lobbying firm Burris and Ledbed Consulting. State records show the firm has represented, among other clients, the cable giant Comcast, the Illinois Funeral Directors Association, northern Illinois utility ComEd and the Illinois Association of Mortgage Brokers.

His law firm also has benefited from state business, including serving as counsel for the sale of bonds.