Larry Short

Short was born on June 23, 1949 in the town of Cape Ray on the southwestern coast of Newfoundland. He became a teacher in Jeffrey's after receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. Before entering the House of Assembly, Short was the president of the Newfoundland Teachers' Association (NTA) branch in Robinsons.^[1][2] In 1980, he was elected as the president of the St. George's Liberal Association.^[3] Short was also a director for the Western Newfoundland and Labrador Rural Development Council in 1988.^[1]

Short entered provincial politics in the 1989 provincial election, when he successfully ran as the Liberal candidate in the district of St. George's. While in office, Short expressed a neutral stance on the denominational schools question, noting in 1993 that his constituents had endured "the pleasure and the pain of being part of shared schools."^[4] In the 1993 election, Short lost his party's nomination to Bud Hulan, and he unsuccessfully contested the seat as an independent candidate.^[5]