Biography

Download a high resolution portrait of Congressman Bishop.

Tim Bishop represents New York’s First Congressional District which spans the eastern end of Long Island from Smithtown to Montauk Point. A lifelong resident of the area, he was first elected to Congress in 2002.

Congressman Bishop’s priorities in Congress include the economy, veterans’ affairs, the environment, education and health care. He is a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, serving as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

In Congress, he has been among the strongest advocates for college access and affordability, and he helped write key provisions of legislation to help millions of students and families pay for college at no new cost to taxpayers. In recognition of his work on behalf of students, Bishop was named the 2011 recipient of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities’ (NAICU) Award for Advocacy of Independent Higher Education.  In March 2008, he received the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities’ highest award and was also the first recipient of the Torch Award from the Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations honoring public figures who demonstrate leadership and effectiveness in expanding availability of student financial assistance.

As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Bishop has worked to protect the Long Island Sound and other waterways, as well as to bring back federal funding to improve our infrastructure and put Long Islanders to work. He has been a champion of the Long Island Sound, defeating a plan to dump contaminated dredge spoil as well as leading the opposition against a plan to industrialize the Sound. He has worked hard to promote legislation to protect Long Island’s shoreline and beaches and to improve our infrastructure and put Long Islanders to work.

Congressman Bishop has brought home more than $130 million to our district including $50 million for roads and bridges in the district. He led the bipartisan coalition of elected officials and community advocates that saved the 106th Air Rescue Wing located at Gabreski Airport from being shut down by the Pentagon’s base closure commission. Congressman Bishop was named the Times-Beacon newspapers’ “Man of the Year in Government,” citing his excellence in constituent service.

Congressman Bishop is among the 12th generation of Bishops to live on Long Island. He graduated from Southampton High School and holds an BA in History from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Long Island University. He and his wife Kathryn, founder and director of The Children’s School for early childhood development, have two daughters, Molly and Meghan, and the family welcomed their first grandchild, Nathan, last year.