The Honorable Paul E. Short, Jr. was born January 13, 1947, in Gastonia, NC, to parents Betty Pearson and Paul E. Short, Sr. He received his B.A. in Political Science from The Citadel in 1968, and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1971. He completed all the course work for a Masters in Judicial Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno in 2003.
After a brief active duty stint in the U.S. Army in 1971, he served in the SC National Guard until 1973 and was honorably discharged as First Lieutenant from the U.S. Army Reserve in 1974.
From 1972-1991, he practiced law with Strickland Short & Keels, PA. From 1982-1991, he served in the SC House of Representatives representing House District 43. He served as House Majority Leader from 1989-1991, when he was elected to serve on the SC Circuit Court as an at-large Judge. In 1999, he was elected Resident Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit. Later that year, he was elected President of the SC Circuit Court Judges Association and was re-elected to serve a second term in 2000. In 2004, he was elected to serve on the SC Court of Appeals, where he continued to serve until his retirement on December 31, 2019.
He was admitted to practice before the U.S. Court for the District of SC and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Judge Short was a member of the Chester County Bar Association, SC Bar, American Bar Association, SC Appellate Court Judges Association, and the SC Chief Justice’s Commission on the Profession. He served as chair of the Chester County Airport Commission.
In 2019, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Jurisprudence from The Citadel and the Order of the Palmetto, for his outstanding service to the state. During that year he was also honored by his former law clerks with the presentation of his portrait which hangs in the Chester County Courthouse.
He was a member, elder, deacon, Sunday school teacher, and youth group leader of Purity Presbyterian Church in Chester, SC; and a life member of The Citadel Association and the Sertoma Club. He was a member of the Chester/Fairfield Citadel Association, the American Legion, the Chester Masonic Lodge, the Shriners, and the Chester Men’s Golf Association. He enjoyed playing golf, boating at Lake Wateree, walking and spending time with his family.
The Honorable Paul E. Short, Jr. died on March 2, 2021. He is survived by his spouse of over 52 years, Linda Huffstetler Short; daughters, Lindy S. Blanks and Melanie S. Stephenson; grandchildren, Ariel M. Blanks, J. Noah Edwards, Blythe R. Edwards and Mary Kendall Edwards; and sister, Rebecca S. Banks.