The Democrats

Occupation: On leave as president of Boston University

Date of birth: August 15, 1926

Personal background: Silber was born in San Antonio, Texas. His father was a German immigrant, and his mother was a school-teacher. He graduated from Trinity University, and earned his masters and his doctorate degrees in philosophy from Yale University. He was a Fulbright Fellow in 1959 and and a Guggenheim Fellow in 1963. He and his wife Kathryn have seven children. They live in Brookline.

Work and political experience: Silber taught philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was appointed dean of the college of arts and sciences. He was appointed president of Boston University in 1970, and has been on leave from the post during the campaign. Silber has never sought political office before.

Major political positions: Silber opposes the Citizens for Limited Taxation tax repeal initiative, and has said he would campaign hard against the measure in the general election campaign. He says he personally considers abortion homicide, but stresses he would not limit abortion rights. To bring down the cost of health care, Silber has said he supports living wills, which would allow health professionals to cease heroic measures to keep people alive if they indicated they would not want such procedures. Silber says this is one way to keep down the cost of health care. He opposes the death penalty.