James Bishop

Who was James Bishop?

James Bishop was an American Opposition Party politician, who represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1855–1857.

Bishop was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey on May 11, 1816. He attended Spaulding School and Rutgers Preparatory School in New Brunswick. He engaged in mercantile pursuits in New Brunswick, and was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1849 and 1850.

Bishop was elected as an Opposition Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress, serving in office from March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857, but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1856 to the Thirty-fifth Congress.

Bishop House, erected in 1852 and located at 115 College Avenue in New Brunswick, is a 42-room mansion that constitutes a fine representation of the Italianate style of architecture, was built for Bishop. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

After leaving Congress, he was prominent in the rubber trade in New York City. He was chief of the bureau of labor statistics of New Jersey from 1878–1893 and was a resident of Trenton.