After a long and relatively controversy-free career in Illinois’ public life, Democrat Roland W. Burris is in the center of a political storm, following the announcement Tuesday of his appointment to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate.

Whether Burris, the former state Attorney General, will ultimately be seated remains up in the air. That is because the pick of Burris was made by Democratic Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich , who was arrested in early December on federal corruption charges — including an alleged initial attempt to use Obama’s vacated seat as a bargaining chip for personal gain. Though Blagojevich has not yet been officially indicted, the Democratic-dominated state legislature already has initiated impeachment proceedings against him.

Democratic Senate leaders previously warned they would block any appointment made by Blagojevich, and have stated firmly since Tuesday that they will refuse to seat Burris. But the would-be senator says Illinois needs full legislative representation without delay, as a new president and Congress must grapple with serious economic problems, ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and pressing issues in such areas as health care, energy and education.

“As a nation, we face a convergence of unparalleled crises. Our nation is locked in an economic crisis not felt since the Great Depression three-quarters of a century ago,” Burris said Tuesday at the event in Chicago at which Blagojevich introduced him as a “distinguished senior statesman of Illinois.”

The flap over the scandal-plagued governor has overshadowed the personal story of the 71-year-old Burris, who re-emerged suddenly in Illinois politics after last running for office six years ago. And it has created a stir uncharacteristic for a low-key figure who made history as Illinois’ first African-American elected statewide official, but whose political career appeared to have run its course after a series of unsuccessful bids for governor — including a 2002 primary loss to Blagojevich.

“I am humbled to have the opportunity, and promise the citizens that I will dedicate my utmost effort as their United States senator, and I will uphold the integrity of the office and ask for their continued confidence in me,” Burris said.

In the hours after Blagojevich defied the political establishment with his bombshell announcement, Burris spent far more time talking about the circumstances of his appointment than about what he would do as senator. But his record and past statements suggest that he would be aligned with the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.

If Burris ultimately is seated, he would replace Obama as the only African-American in the U.S. Senate. That chamber currently has no black members with Obama’s resignation on Nov. 16, a dozen days after he won the presidential election.

Burris’ political base is in Chicago and has enjoyed support from the city’s black voters in particular. He lives on the South Side, where most of the residents are black. But he was born in the small southern Illinois city of Centralia, about 75 miles east of St. Louis, and received a degree in political science at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. After graduating, he spent a year studying international law in Germany before moving to Washington, D.C., to attend law school at Howard University.

After a stint as a federal bank examiner, Burris became a bank vice president in Illinois. It was during this time that he made his first try for elected office, a bid for the state House in 1968 in which he finished last. A quarter-century later, Burris told the Chicago Tribune that his loss was “the best thing that ever happened to me,” in part because it taught him to be better-prepared to run a campaign.

Burris served in the Cabinet of Democrat Daniel Walker, who was governor from 1973 to 1977. His first attempt to win a breakthrough statewide election fell short in 1976 when he lost a bid for Illinois comptroller, the chief fiscal officer of the state. But he won the job two years later, becoming the first black person elected to a statewide constitutional office in Illinois, and held it for a dozen years.

The comptroller’s job was a good match for Burris’ professional background, but it is an obscure, low-profile job. Burris hankered for higher office.

At first he had his sights set on Washington and not the governor’s office in Springfield. Burris was midway through his second term as state comptroller in 1984 when he entered the five-candidate Democratic primary contest for the seat of Republican Sen. Charles Percy. Burris did well among Chicago primary voters but performed poorly outside the city. He finished a distant second to Paul Simon, then a House incumbent from southern Illinois, who defeated Percy that November and went on to serve two terms.