Sanford Bishop
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| Sanford Bishop | |
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| In office January 3, 1993 - present |
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| Preceded by | Charles Hatcher |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | February 4, 1947 Mobile, Alabama |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Vivian Creighton |
| Religion | Baptist |
Sanford Dixon Bishop Jr. (born February 4, 1947) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing the 2nd District of Georgia (map). He was born in Mobile, Alabama, where his father was the first president of Bishop State Community College. He was educated at Morehouse College and Emory University Law School, and served in the United States Army, entering the Reserve Officer Training Program. While at Morehouse, he was a classmate of Herman Cain. After receiving his honorable discharge, he operated a law firm in Columbus, Georgia, and was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1977, where he remained until being elected to the Georgia Senate in 1990. After serving a two-year term, he won election to the House of Representatives in 1992.
Bishop's district was one of two new majority African-American congressional districts which had been created following the 1990 census. In 1995, a 5-4 majority of the Supreme Court ruled that this redistricting violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. However, in 1998, Bishop was able to win reelection in the newly redrawn district, which was now 60 percent white. In 2000, he was reelected to a fifth term, narrowly defeating a high-profile challenge from young African-American Republican Dylan Glenn, who received strong backing from many national Republican leaders.
He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Arguably the most conservative African-American Democrat in Congress, Bishop is a member of the Blue Dog Democrats, a group of moderate to conservative Democrats in Congress. Serving a primarily agricultural district, Bishop has fought to preserve the federal price supports for peanuts, southwest Georgia's most important crop. In 2005, he caused considerable controversy within his own party by co-sponsoring a bill by Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Oklahoma) to introduce a constitutional amendment to protect religious expression on public property.
He has received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America, given to Eagle Scouts for distinguished career achievement. He is a resident of Albany, where he is a member of the Mount Zion Baptist Church.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
| Preceded by: Charles Hatcher |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 2nd congressional district January 3, 1993 – present |
Incumbent |
Categories: Members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia | Current members of the United States House of Representatives | Georgia State Senators | Members of the Georgia House of Representatives | United States Army officers | Georgia lawyers | African American politicians | Baptists from the United States | Eagle Scouts | Distinguished Eagle Scouts | American Freemasons | Kappa Alpha Psi brothers | Shriners | People from Mobile, Alabama | 1947 births | Living people | Morehouse College alumni | African Americans in the United States Congress | American Veteran Politicians(Democrat)
