Phil Short

Early years, education, military

Short graduated in 1965 from C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport in northwestern Louisiana. In 1969, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. Subsequently, he procured a Master of Arts degree from the private Webster University in Webster Groves near St. Louis, Missouri. While living in Covington, Short was a real estate agent and a member of the trade association, the National Association of Realtors.

From 1970 to 1994, Short is a former lieutenant colonel and a naval aviator in the United States Marine Corps. He is a member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He served on the military service academy recruitment team for former U.S. Representative Bob Livingston, a Republican from the New Orleans suburbs.

Louisiana Senate

Short served in the Louisiana State Senate from 1996 through 1999. He won the seat in the general election held on November 18, 1995, by unseating the long-term incumbent B. B. "Sixty" Rayburn of Bogalusa in Washington Parish. Short polled 21,222 votes (51 percent) to Rayburn's 20,676 (49 percent).

In 1997, Short introduced Senate Bill 37, which would have amended the "Right to Individual Dignity" portion of the Louisiana Constitution to deny recognition of marriages performed validly between same-sex couples outside of the state. Short's amendment was defeated twice on the Senate floor - in April and then again in May, the second time without a vote being taken. Several of Short's fellow Republican senators, including Ken Hollis of Metairie in Jefferson Parish, Lynn Dean of St. Bernard Parish, and Ron Bean of Shreveport, joined Democrats in speaking against the bill. Hollis said that he was "absolutely convinced that those people who lead the alternate lifestyle do so because of genetics. ... I don't condone their way of life, but I'm not gonna sit up here and condemn it and to vote for a constitutional amendment to bring it to a vote to divide our people..." Bean echoed Hollis: "I see no reason to dig this up and grind it around in public again. ... The session before last we had a hate crimes bill and one of the things we put in it was 'sexual orientation' and that stirred up a lot of controversy out in the community. And this'll do the same thing in the long run."

In 1999, Short resigned his Senate seat before the expiration of his Senate term to accept a position with the Marine Corps.

Short was succeeded by Democrat-turned-Republican Jerry Aroe Thomas, a state representative, a physician, and former coroner from Franklinton, who won the position outright in the first round of balloting with 51 percent of the vote.

Return to military

In 1999, Short began work as the director of the Personal and Family Readiness Division of the Marine Corps in Washington, D.C.. In the new position, he was called upon to testify before the United States House Committee on Armed Services.

Run for Congress

In 2000, Short quit his post with the Marine Corps to run for United States Congress in the 1st Congressional District of Virginia. Running against five other Republicans in a primary to replace nine-term incumbent Republican Herbert H. Bateman, who was leaving for health reasons, Short came in fifth place with 6.24 percent of the vote. Short raised approximately $64,000 for the race, more than half of which was self-funded.

Consulting

From 2000-2008, Short was president and CEO of Visions & Strategies, a consulting firm which he established.

United States Department of Agriculture

In 2008, Short joined the United States Department of Agriculture as a Deputy Administrator for Management in the Farm Service Agency.

Personal life

A Baptist, Short is married to the former Suzanne Richards (born ca. 1954). Short and his wife currently reside in Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia. They have two daughters and two granddaughters.