Bob Short

Bob Short
Washington Senators owner Bob Short (with arms folded) with President Nixon and Bowie Kuhn on opening day in 1969
Born	Robert Earl Short (1917-07-20)July 20, 1917 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	November 20, 1982(1982-11-20) (aged 65) Hennepin County, Minnesota, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of St. Thomas, Georgetown University Law Center
Occupation	businessman
Known for	Owner of the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers
Spouse(s)	Marion D. McCann (1948–?)

Robert Earl Short (July 20, 1917 – November 20, 1982) was an American businessman, sport teams owner and politician.

Short graduated from the College of Saint Thomas (now the University of St. Thomas) in St. Paul, Minnesota, before receiving his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. In 1942 he enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II, rising from ensign to commander before resigning in 1946. In 1948 he married Marion D. McCann and they settled in suburban Edina, where they raised seven children.

Short practiced law for several years and started to invest in business ventures after buying an interest in Mueller Transportation, a small trucking line. He built the company into a major freight carrier known as Admiral Merchants Motor Freight, then expanded into real estate and the hotel business. He later purchased two professional sports teams.

Short was a longtime supporter of the University of Notre Dame and served as a member of the Notre Dame Law School Advisory Council from 1974 until his death in 1982, when he was succeeded by his wife in both business and at Notre Dame (she also served nine years on the board of trustees of what became the University of Saint Thomas). He endowed the Robert and Marion Short Chair in Law at Notre Dame Law School, which his son attended.

Short bought the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association in the late 1950s and moved the team to Los Angeles in 1960 due to terrible attendance (George Mikan had retired in the mid-1950s) in the then small Twin Cities. The Lakers immediately resumed their winning ways in L.A., resulting in increased attendance and revenue, and Short sold the team in 1965 to Canadian magnate Jack Kent Cooke.

Although the original Washington Senators baseball franchise had moved to Minnesota in 1961 due to dwindling attendance (to become the Minnesota Twins), in the fall of 1968 Short outbid comedian Bob Hope for the 2nd (expansion) version of the Senators. The Senators had just finished in the American League basement and were last in the majors in attendance. Short immediately installed himself as the team's general manager and hired Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams—the major leagues' last .400 hitter—as its field manager for 1969.