Rep. Dan Bishop dies at age 35

Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Rep. Dan Bishop, of Kansas City, died Thursday in Arizona after an illness, House colleagues said. He was 35.

Bishop won re-election in November to a second term from District 38 in Clay County, and Democratic colleagues had recently elected him vice chairman of their House caucus.

Bishop "passed away peacefully this morning in Arizona," Rep. Clint Zweifel, D-Florissant, said in an e-mail Thursday to House colleagues.

In a telephone interview, Zweiful declined to describe Bishop's illness, citing a respect for Bishop's wishes.

"He had been dealing with some health issues for some time," Zweiful said, "and he went to Arizona so he could be with his family and get health treatment."

Besides being colleagues, Bishop and Zweiful were friends, vacationing with their families together at Disney World this year during the legislative spring break.

"He really, really loved public service and, in particular, he loved the personal relationships you develop when you're in public service," Zweiful said. "You talk to the guy and he just gives you energy, he just makes you feel great."

Bishop was an attorney and adjunct professor of political science at William Jewell College in Liberty. He was a former mayor and councilman in Gladstone and a member of the Church of Christ, Scientist, which practices spiritual, prayer-based healing.

Among his various efforts at the Statehouse, Bishop was a co-sponsor of a 2003 law that included a "Christian Science practitioner" under the definition of a "minister" required to report suspected child abuse or neglect. The previous child-abuse reporting law also had applied to Christian Science practitioners, but had not categorized them as ministers.

A native of East Branch, N.Y., Bishop graduated from Kansas City's Oak Park High School and Westminster College in Fulton. He received his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a masters degree in political science from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

He is survived by his wife, Leslie, and their two sons, Ben and Luke.

A memorial service is planned next week in Kansas City, Zweifel said.