[1][2][3][4] Short attended Bend High School for several years before being accepted into a special program at Oregon State College.

As part of that program, Short received his high school diploma from Oregon State College.

In 1925, Short joined his father-in-law to incorporate G. W. Bales Warehouse Company, an agricultural wholesale and farm supply business located in Redmond, Oregon.

He eventually expanded the business to include a grain processing mill near Klamath Falls, Oregon.

[1][2][5][11] Short's business purchased wholesale quantities of wheat, barley, and other grain crops and shipped those products to markets around the country.

The company also bought wholesale quantities of wool, potatoes, peas, and turkeys for resale in larger markets.

[19] Short was also active in the local Masonic lodge and served on the Deschutes County Fair Association board of directors.

[27] Short also expressed his support for a plan to reapportion state House and Senate seats to ensure rural counties had local representation in the legislature.

[28] At the end of the 1949 session, Short was appointed to a special interim committee chartered to study the need for a community college system in Oregon.

Just prior to the end of his two-year term, Short and the other members of the interim committee sent their report to the new legislature.

In 1952, Short expanded his land holdings in central Oregon by buying the old Bend-Redmond airfield, a 349-acre property located between the two cities.

[5][31][32] A year later, Short was appointed to a two-year term on the Oregon State Motor Association's board of directors.

[14] While in office, Short encouraged the state to take over some federal agriculture programs, either directly or through joint agreements.

In addition, he requested that an emergency fund be created to cover the cost of dealing with serious outbreaks of agricultural pests and diseases.

Short also recognized that the department's office facilities were inadequate and advocated for a new headquarters building in Salem.

At the request of the governor, Short agreed to continue leading the agriculture department until the 1957 legislative session ended, when Steward would be available to take over the position.

[36] After leaving the state agriculture department, Short remained in Salem where he continued to operate his farm while he started a real estate business.

[37][38] As state Republican chairman, Short focused his party on reducing taxes and controlling government expenditures.

[40][41] As the 1958 elections got closer, Short pushed county Republican committees to focus on recruiting quality candidates for local and states offices.

[45][46] In 1961, he was elected secretary of Western States Agriculture Directors Association and two years later he became president of that organization.

[47][48] During that period, Short was also appointed to the board of governors for the Agricultural Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri.

[49] While in office, Short was investigated for conflict of interest in a real estate transaction involving a sale of a ranch in eastern Oregon.

[56] In 1973, Short became chairman of the agriculture honoree nominating committee for the museum's 1974 panegyric event.