Changes

==State Senator==

==State Senator==

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In 1978, Short was elected as state senator to succeed Kent Hance of Dimmitt in Castro County, who was instead elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]] to fill the seat vacated by the retiring George Herman Mahon of [[Lubbock]]. Hance, then a Democrat, defeated the [[Republican Party|Republican]] candidate, [[George W. Bush]], who had beaten [[Jim Reese]], the former mayor of [[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]], in a runoff election.<ref>State of Texas, 1978 election returns.</ref>

In 1978, Short was elected state senator to succeed Kent Hance of Dimmitt in Castro County, who was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]] to fill the seat vacated by the retiring George Herman Mahon of [[Lubbock]]. Hance, then a Democrat, defeated the [[Republican Party|Republican]] candidate, [[George W. Bush]], who had beaten [[Jim Reese]], the former mayor of [[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]], in a runoff election.<ref>State of Texas, 1978 election returns.</ref> Meanwhile, Short's House seat was won by the Democrat Jim Rudd of Brownfield.

 

Meanwhile, Short's House seat was won by the Democrat Jim Rudd of Brownfield. ​

Short was appointed by then Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, the presiding officer of the state Senate, to serve on the Finance Committee. Short worked to increase funding for the nursing school at [[Texas Tech University]] in Lubbock. He pushed for passage of bills to require [[cotton]] buyers to register with the state and to permit oversized modular trucks hauling cotton to be ginned to continue using the highways, as such operations are seasonal in nature. He was the vice chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and in the 1981 legislative session worked to thwart passage of seven land-use bills.<ref name=short>Statement of E L Short of Tahoka, Texas, November 18, December 14, 2010.</ref>​

Short was appointed by then Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, the presiding officer of the state Senate, to serve on the Finance Committee. Short worked to increase funding for the nursing school at [[Texas Tech University]] in Lubbock. He pushed for passage of bills to require [[cotton]] buyers to register with the state and to permit oversized modular trucks hauling cotton to be ginned to continue using the highways, as such operations are seasonal in nature. He was the vice chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and in the 1981 legislative session worked to thwart passage of seven land-use bills.<ref name=short>Statement of E L Short of Tahoka, Texas, November 18, December 14, 2010.</ref>​

In the Montford-Reese [[general election]] contest, Short endorsed neither candidate.<ref name=short/> Short, considered a [[conservative]] Democrat, later switched affiliation to the [[Republican Party|GOP]] but after his time in elective politics had passed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voterfactory.com/Tahoka_TX_Trudy-Schuknecht_Arlen-Simpson_4376.html|title=RealVoters: Pinpoint Voters and Votes in Tahoka, TX|publisher=voterfactory.com|accessdate=December 14, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=​http://www.city-data.com/elec2/elec-TAHOKA-TX.html|title=Tahoka, TX Political Contributions by Individuals|publisher=city-data.com|accessdate=December 14, 2010}}</ref>​

In the Montford-Reese [[general election]] contest, Short endorsed neither candidate.<ref name=short/> Short, considered a [[conservative]] Democrat, later switched affiliation to the [[Republican Party|GOP]] but after his time in elective politics had passed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voterfactory.com/Tahoka_TX_Trudy-Schuknecht_Arlen-Simpson_4376.html|title=RealVoters: Pinpoint Voters and Votes in Tahoka, TX|publisher=voterfactory.com|accessdate=December 14, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=​http://www.city-data.com/elec2/elec-TAHOKA-TX.html|title=Tahoka, TX Political Contributions by Individuals|publisher=city-data.com|accessdate=December 14, 2010}}</ref>​

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Former State Representative [[Delwin Jones]] of Lubbock, who served in the House with Short in the early 1970s, described his friend as an advocate for rural and agricultural issues: "This is back in the day when we had a strong West Texas voice in Austin and he was a good one."<ref name=shortdies/> Former U.S. Representative Kent Hance said that “No one worked harder for his constituents than E L Short. He spent hours upon hours researching any issues a constituent in his district had."<ref name=shortdies/>​

Former State Representative [[Delwin Jones]] of Lubbock, who served in the House with Short in the early 1970s, described his friend as an advocate for rural and agricultural issues: "This is back in the day when we had a strong West Texas voice in Austin and he was a good one."<ref name=shortdies/> Former U.S. Representative Kent Hance said that “No one worked harder for his constituents than E L Short. He spent hours upon hours researching any issues a constituent in his district had."<ref name=shortdies/>​

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Former House Speaker James "Pete" Laney of Hale Center eulogized Short at the former lawmaker's funeral at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin on June 29.<ref name=shortdies/>​

Former House Speaker James "Pete" Laney of Hale Center eulogized Short at the former lawmaker's funeral at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin on June 29.<ref name=shortdies/>​

​An exhibit with some of Short's political memorabilia is available at the Garza County Historical Museum in Post, Texas.​

An exhibit with some of Short's political memorabilia is available at the Garza County Historical Museum in Post, Texas.​

==References==

==References==