Clyde Lorraine Short (January 30, 1883 – February 27, 1936) was a

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

, best known as a former two-time candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives and the Chairman of the

Kansas Democratic Party The Kansas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the state of Kansas and one of two major parties in the state, alongside the Kansas Republican Party, Republicans. The chair of the party is V ...

from 1934 to 1936.

Biography

Short was born in

Rochester, Indiana Rochester is a city in, and the county seat of, Fulton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,218 at the 2010 census. History Rochester was laid out in 1835. The founder Alexander Chamberlain named it for his former hometown of R ...

in 1883. He grew up in

Concordia, Kansas Concordia is a city in and the county seat of Cloud County, Kansas, United States. It is located along the Republican River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains in North Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the ci ...

, where, as a youth, he became known for his public speaking skill. Upon graduation, he read law in the offices of Pulsiver and Alexander, passed the bar in 1916, and was eventually elected Concordia City Attorney. He was a Democratic candidate for the U. S. House of Representatives for Kansas, in 1930, against incumbent James G. Strong, who narrowly defeated Short in a close race. He ran again in 1932, and was defeated in the Democratic primary by

Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Kathryn Ellen O'Loughlin (April 24, 1894 – January 16, 1952) was a U.S. Representative from Kansas. After her election, she was married to Daniel M. McCarthy, who served in the Kansas State Senate, and thereupon served under the name of Kath ...

, who would go on to become the first female U. S. Representative from Kansas. Despite these setbacks, he remained active in the Democratic party, and was elected Party Chairman in 1934, directing the effort to unseat incumbent Governor

Alf Landon Alfred Mossman Landon (September 9, 1887October 12, 1987) was an American oilman and politician who served as the 26th governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 1936 presidential ele ...

. Although Landon won re-election, Short presided over two first-time Democratic victories in Kansas, the offices of State Auditor and State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Short died in 1936, of pneumonia. His brother was American baseball player

Harry Short Harry Bernard Short (1 September 1864 – 15 April 1937) was a Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was born in Bear River, Nova Scotia and became a corporate manager and municipal politician. Short attended school at ...

References

1883 births 1936 deaths 20th-century American politicians American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law People from Concordia, Kansas Kansas Democrats People from Rochester, Indiana {{Kansas-politician-stub