Congressman Sanford Bishop's Brief Biography

Serving Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District

Congressman Sanford Bishop is serving his eighth term in the United States House of Representatives, representing the constituents of the Second Congressional District of Georgia. Known as a consensus builder who works with members on both sides of the aisle, Congressman Bishop has distinguished himself as a leader uniquely dedicated to his constituents.

 

The middle and southwest Georgia legislator defines his goal in public life as seeking a higher, better quality of life for all citizens, by promoting jobs and a stronger, more diversified economy; a better educated population; safe and secure communities, free of crime and drugs; a clean environment; affordable, accessible health care; and a strong national defense, all within the context of a balanced budget.

 

Serving as a member of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, Congressman Bishop has emerged as a leader among the fiscally moderate-to-conservative Democrats in Congress, championing policies in support of a strong defense, a sound infrastructure, and an efficient and secure social safety net, as well as tax relief that does not burden future generations.

 

He has authored and sponsored a wide range of bills and resolutions, including the widely supported “Transitional Health Care Bill” which passed the U.S. House of Representatives as a part of the 2009 Defense Authorization bill which, if enacted, would provide 180 days of transitional health care to service members in the United States Military who choose to voluntarily separate from active duty and join the Selected Reserves (SELRES).   Bishop was also a leader in implementing the 2008 Farm bill, which authorized $280 billion in nutrition and farm support programs affecting every American.  The bill included a program spearheaded by Bishop and other farm-state legislators which encourages a cleaner, greener method of planting by providing an incentive for farmers to plant their crops in a crop mix rotation.

 

Bishop has advocated for the values and morals of Southwest Georgians through his support for several Constitutional amendments. In his almost sixteen years in Congress, Bishop has cosponsored Constitutional amendments protecting the U.S. flag against acts of desecration, preserving the institution of marriage as between a man and a woman,  as well as an amendment allowing voluntary, non-denominational prayer in schools and other public localities.

He has pushed through many initiatives of special concern to the Second District, including legislation to name the new U.S. Courthouse in Albany for civil rights leader C.B. King; bills to expand and improve the Andersonville and Jimmy Carter Historic Sites; efforts to sustain and build new structures at the Second District's military installations, including Fort Benning and the Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) at Albany; the minting of a commemorative coin honoring the United States Army Infantry; and more than a billion dollars in federal grants and loans for communities throughout the Second District, making the area one of the nation's leaders in qualifying for federal community development funding. 

 

For 33 years, Sanford Bishop has served the people of Georgia as an elected official: in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1977 to 1990; in the Georgia Senate from 1991-1992 and in the U.S. House of Representatives since his election in 1992. A graduate of Morehouse College and Emory Law School, Congressman Bishop is an Eagle Scout, a 33rd Degree Mason, and a Shriner. He is also a resident of Albany, Georgia, where he is a Deacon and Trustee of the Mount Zion Baptist Church.

 

The son of the late Dr. Sanford D. Bishop, Sr., the first president of Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Alabama and the late Mrs. Minnie S. Bishop, a librarian. Congressman Sanford Bishop is married to the Honorable Vivian Creighton Bishop, who is serving her fourth term as the elected Clerk of the Municipal Court of Columbus, Georgia (court administrator). They have a daughter, Aayesha J. Reese (husband Steven), of Lithonia, Georgia.