C. W. Bishop

C. W. Bishop, Congressman from Illinois

Cecil William ("Runt") Bishop (June 29, 1890 – September 21, 1971) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois.

Biography

Bishop was born on a farm near West Vienna, Illinois. After attending the public schools, and Union Academy in Anna, Illinois, he became a tailor. As quarterback on an elementary school football team he weighed less than 90 pounds, giving rise to the nickname "Runt."^[1]

Bishop was engaged in the cleaning and tailoring business from 1910 to 1922. He later worked as a coal miner, a telephone lineman, and a player for and manager of professional football and baseball teams. He became city clerk of Carterville, Illinois in 1915, and served until 1918. He was town postmaster from 1923 to 1933.

Bishop was elected as a Republican to the Seventy-seventh Congress and to six succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1941 to January 3, 1955. He served as chairman of the Special Committee on Campaign Expenditures in the Eighty-third Congress. He ran unsuccessfully for reelection to the Eighty-fourth Congress in 1954, and was succeeded by Kenneth J. Gray.

After serving in Congress, Bishop held several other offices, including:

• Congressional liaison assistant, Post Office Department, from 1955 to 1957.
• Superintendent, Division of Industrial Planning and Development, State of Illinois, in 1957 and 1958.
• Department of Labor conciliator for the State of Illinois from 1958 to 1960.

Bishop died in Marion, Illinois, on September 21, 1971. He was interred in Oakwood Cemetery, in Carterville, Illinois.

References

1. Newsweek Inc., Newsweek magazine, Volume 19, page 34

External links

• United States Congress. "C. W. Bishop (id: B000486)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

C. W. Bishop at Find a Grave

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.