Between 1864 and 1867, Bliss was an
alderman of Brooklyn and served as president of the board of aldermen in 1866. In 1867, he was unsuccessful in his candidacy for
mayor, which he ran on the
Republican ticket. Bliss was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of
1864 and
1868. He was a delegate to the
Liberal Republican National Convention in 1872, and to the Democratic National Convention of
1876,
1880,
1884, and
1888. He was a member of the board of water commissioners of Brooklyn in 1871 and 1872. From 1868 until 1878, he was the president and vice-president of the
Bushwick Railroad Company. He was also a Director of the New York & Long Island Bridge Company.
Tenure in Congress Elected as a
Democrat, Bliss was a United States representative for the fourth district of
New York in the
forty-fourth Congress and was re-elected three times, serving from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1883. He did not stand in 1882 but was elected to the
forty-ninth and
fiftieth Congresses for the fifth district of New York and served from March 4, 1885, to March 3, 1889. He did not run in 1888. While in Congress Bliss served as chairman on the Committee on Pensions. From 1889 until his death, he carried on a real estate business in Washington D. C. ==Death==