[5] In 1886 Shortt married Elizabeth Smith, one of the first women to receive a medical degree in Canada; they had two daughters and a son together.

[6] The same year he began working as a tutor for John Watson, and in 1887 was appointed a lecturer in the field of political economy at Queen's.

[8] While a lecturer at Queen's, he was appointed as the editor of The Queen's Journal and is largely credited with moving the paper from a strict focus on campus matters to a more mixed discussion on all university interests, particularly to broaden the readership amongst alumni.

He is most well known for his research into the history of Canadian banking and for his association with the National Archives of Canada.

[10] At the time of his death on 14 January 1931, he was a chairman of the Board of Historical Publications at the National Archives, a position he had held since 1918.