Phil Short
| Philip Granville "Phil" Short | |
 Phil Short as a student at Louisiana Tech University (1969) | |
Louisiana State Senator for District 12 (St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes)
| |
| In office 1996–1999 | |
| Preceded by | B. B. "Sixty" Rayburn |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Jerry Aroe Thomas |
| Born | January 31, 1947 Place of birth missing |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Suzanne Richards Short |
| Children | Two daughters |
| Residence | Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia |
| Alma mater | Clifton Ellis Byrd High School |
| Occupation | Military officer |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
Military Service
| |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1970 to 1994 1999-2000 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel Aviator |
| Note: Short unseated the legendary Sixty Rayburn in the state Senate but served only three years of his four-year term because he resigned to take a position with the United States Marine Corps in Washington, D.C. | |
Philip Granville Short, known as Phil Short (born January 31, 1947), is a retired military officer in Spotsylvania, Virginia, who formerly was a state Senator from Covington in St. Tammany Parish in suburban New Orleans, Louisiana. From 1996 to 1999, he represented District 12, encompassing St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes.
Background
Short graduated in 1965 from Clifton Ellis 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.[1] Subsequently, he procured a Master of Arts degree from the private Webster University in suburban Webster Groves near St. Louis, Missouri. While living in Covington, Short was a real estate agent and a member of the National Association of Realtors.
Short is a former lieutenant colonel and a naval aviator in the United States Marine Corps, with service from 1970 to 1994. 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.[2]
Louisiana Senate
Short won his Senate seat in the 1995 general election 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).[3]
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 between same-sex couples outside of the state. Short's amendment was defeated twice on the Senate floor, with opposition coming from several Moderate Republicans.[4] and then again in May,[5] 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..."[6] 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."[6]
In 1999, Short resigned his Senate seat before the expiration of his Senate term to accept a position with the Marine Corps.[7]
Short was succeeded by Democrat-turned-Republican Jerry Aroe Thomas, then a state representative and a physician and former coroner from Franklinton in Washington Parish who won the position outright in the first round of balloting with 51 percent of the vote.[8]
Later years
In 1999, Short began work as the director of the Personal and Family Readiness Division of the Marine Corps in Washington, D.C. In that position, he was called upon to testify before the House Armed Services Committee.[9]
In 2000, Short quit his post with the Marine Corps to run for the United States House of Representatives in Virginia's 1st congressional district.[10] Running against five other Republicans in a primary to replace nine-term incumbent Republican Herbert Harvell "Herb" Bateman (1928-2000) who was leaving for health reasons, Short came in fifth place with 6.24 percent of the vote.[11] Short raised approximately $64,000 for the race, more than half of which was self-funded.[12]
From 2000 to 2008, Short was president and CEO of Visions & Strategies, a consulting firm which he established. In 2008, he joined the United States Department of Agriculture[13] as a Deputy Administrator for Management in the Farm Service Agency.[14]
Personal life
A Baptist, Short is married to the former Suzanne Richards (born 1953).[2] Short and his wife currently reside in Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia.[15] The couple has two daughters and two granddaughters.[13]
References
- ↑ The Lagniappe (1969), Louisiana Tech University yearbook. p. 88.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Senate District 12. enlou.com. Retrieved on November 3, 2009; website no longer exists.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, General election returns, November 18, 1995.
- ↑ "Anti-Marriage Bill (SB 37) Falls Short of Two-Thirds Support" Anti-Marriage Bill Falls Short of Two Thirds Support. qrd.com. Retrieved on October 27, 2021.
- ↑ Louisiana Anti-Marriage Bill Defeated a Second Time Without a Single Vote Cast". qrd.org. Retrieved on October 27, 2021.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Louisiana Anti-Marriage Bill Defeated a Second Time without a Single Vote Cast". qrd.org (May 8, 1997). Retrieved on October 27, 2021.
- ↑ Official Journal of the Senate of the State of Louisiana, March 29, 1999; may no longer be accessible on-line.
- ↑ "Thomas Wins Senate 12 Seat Outright," The Hammond Star, February 8, 1999; no longer on-line.
- ↑ "Joint Statement of Lieutenant General Jack W. Klimp, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, and Philip G. Short, Director of Personal and Family Readiness Division, at headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps," armedservices.house.gov, accessed November 10, 2009; no longer on-line.
- ↑ Phil Short Not Lacking Confidence. Virginia Daily Press (May 18, 2000). Retrieved on October 27, 2021.
- ↑ VA Dist. 1 - Republican Primary. Our Campaigns. Retrieved on October 27, 2021.
- ↑ Philip Granville Short. Open Secrets. Retrieved on October 27, 2021.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "New Deputy Administrator for Management Moves Swiftly to Tackle Transition, Strengthen Workforce," United States Department of Agriculture, January 16, 2009.
- ↑ Philip G. Short, United States Department of Agriculture Biography, accessed November 1, 2013; no longer accessible on-line.
- ↑ Philip Short, 74 - Spotsylvania | Free Public Reputation Profile (mylife.com), accessed October 27, 2021.