[4] He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in a 1952 by-election, scoring a fairly easy victory in the riding of Brandon City.
The Liberal-Progressives were in government during this period, and Lissaman sat as a member of the opposition.
In 1953-54, he campaigned for the removal of Errick Willis as Progressive Conservative leader.
The PCs won the 1958 election, and Lissaman was handily re-elected in the renamed Brandon riding.
He helped develop the International Peace Garden located on the border between North Dakota and Manitoba.