Bisbee moved to Chicago, Illinois in late 1863 and was admitted into the Illinois Bar in 1864. After the end of the war in 1865, Bisbee moved to Jacksonville, Florida and established his law practice there. In 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Bisbee as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. In this position, Bisbee, a Republican, made acquaintance with several high-profile Floridians, including Governor Harrison Reed and lawyer Joseph E. Lee, who was one of the most prominent black Republicans in Florida at the time. In 1872, Bisbee was temporarily appointed as the eleventh Florida Attorney General by Reed. He stepped down when lawyer J. P. C. Emmons was chosen to permanently fill the position. During his appointment, he was still serving as a U.S. Attorney. He resigned as U.S. Attorney in 1873.
In 1876, Bisbee was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida's recently created 2nd congressional district. Bisbee defeated Democratic incumbent Jesse J. Finley by just three votes. Finley successfully contested the election and was seated on February 20, 1879, less than a month before the term expired. As Finley was not seated until after the election of 1878, Bisbee was technically still the incumbent leading into that election. Bisbee was defeated by Democratic Lieutenant Governor Noble A. Hull by just 22 points. Bisbee successfully contested the election, taking the seat on January 22, 1881, again just a month and half before the term expired. In the year before, during the 1880 elections, Hull, the technical incumbent going into the election, did not seek reelection. Bisbee and Finley again ran as the Republican and Democratic nominees, respectively. Once again, Finley won, but the election was contested by Bisbee. On June 1, 1882, Bisbee was declared the winner, meaning he would be the incumbent entering the 1882 election. In the 1882 election, Bisbee won a decisive and undisputed victory over Finley. Bisbee ran for reelection in 1884, losing to Charles Dougherty, the former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. After this loss, Bisbee retired from politics, returning to private practice.
Personal life
At some point after his retirement, Bisbee married Charlotte Randolph. They had a daughter, Florence, in 1885. Bisbee and his wife returned to Maine leaving their daughter in Jacksonville with her husband and his family.
