Born in Portland, Oregon, Sharp was in the United States Army during World War II, from 1942 to 1946, achieving the rank of captain.
He received a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 1948.
He was an assistant general attorney of the Milwaukee Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and Seattle, Washington from 1948 to 1956.
He was a special consultant to the United States Attorney General for court management and reform projects in 1971.
[1] Sharp was nominated by President Richard Nixon on November 24, 1971, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington vacated by Judge George Hugo Boldt.