Edward Shortt, KC (10 March 1862 – 10 November 1935) was a British lawyer and Liberal Party politician. He served as a member of David Lloyd George's cabinet, most significantly as Home Secretary from 1919 to 1922.

Early life and career

Shortt was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and was the son of the Church of England vicar Rev. Edward Shortt of Woodhorn, Northumberland. Though born and bred in England, Shortt came from a family with roots in County Tyrone. However, his health having declined in South Africa, he was forced to retire early, and died in November 1913.

He was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in 1890 and practised on the North Eastern Circuit. He soon acquired a large junior practice in both civil and criminal cases, with his 'breezy personality' making him an effective advocate in front of juries. In August 1917 the committee produced a report whose main recommendation was the transfer of medical examinations of recruits from the War Office to a civilian authority. However, both parts of the plan collapsed due to infighting within the government and the military establishment. Conscription was never implemented in Ireland.

thumb|upright|Pencil sketch of Edward Shortt by [[Reginald Grenville Eves]]

Home Secretary

Once the war was over, Shortt was promoted to Home Secretary in January 1919, during the middle of a police strike.

On the issue of the fate of enemy aliens who had been detained on the outbreak of war, he resisted demands made by Charles Yate in February 1919 that all foreign waiters on strike should be immediately deported, arguing that 'the fact that an alien takes part in a strike in company with British subjects of the same occupation is not alone a sufficient reason for his deportation'. Shortt oversaw the deportation of the Estonian anarchist Eduard Sõrmus, the so-called 'Red Violinist', who was ultimately removed from the country on 15 February 1919.

In a November 1919 meeting with representatives from the Board of Deputies of British Jews Shortt rejected their proposals for an appeal to a judge in chambers prior to the making of a deportation order, arguing that the necessity of tackling political subversives in the aftermath of the Great War depended on the government holding on to what he described as 'abnormal' powers. He also reprieved Ronald True, who had been condemned to death for murder, after finding the issue of his sanity in doubt. He was unpopular with some people in Parliament because of his regional partiality: tending to appoint barristers from the North East to many top posts. Malcolm R. Thorp has suggested that Shortt's position as Recorder of Sunderland before he entered parliament may have influenced his feelings, as Sunderland experienced anti-Mormon riots in 1912, which Shortt presumably witnessed.

In November 1929, Shortt was appointed as second President of the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) succeeding T.P. O'Connor. This was an odd appointment as Shortt had no real interest and actively disliked sound films, and was also known to be critical of Hollywood. This was the first time that the BBFC had been presented with a film that depicted the act of childbirth, and the decision to reject was never reversed. The following year he had to contend with Island of Lost Souls by the American director Erle C. Kenton, which had already caused some controversy in the US over its alleged portrayal of cruelty to animals. Consequently, Shortt was concerned enough to view the film himself instead of one of his censors, and he imposed a ban throughout the country. He banned 120 films in five years and in 1932 ordered cuts to 382, a record number; one of which was Red-Headed Woman, starring Jean Harlow. He also introduced the 'H' rating (for horror), which was the origin of the later X rated film.

In the last year of his life he founded the security firm Nightwatch Services, which would later develop into Securicor. His company was one of the first specialist security firms to be established in the modern era, and provided guarding services.

Assessment

Shortt was described by John Maynard Keynes in The Economic Consequences of the Peace as 'a capable but obstinate man too much bound to preconceived opinions', though Michael Bentley wryly notes that such qualities may have been useful in his position as President of the BBFC.

He was 'sociable, good-humoured and well-meaning', remembered affectionately as 'Teddie' in his native Newcastle, though very much shaped by his traditional 19th century education and experience. Liberal in politics, he was paternalistic in matters of human behaviour, art, and entertainment. One of his daughters was writer Doreen Ingrams. His old university, Durham, conferred the honorary degree of DCL upon him in 1920. He served as Worshipful Master of the lodge in 1919 and again in 1926 and 1927.

See also

  • List of MPs elected in the January 1910 United Kingdom general election
  • List of Home Secretaries
  • List of Durham University people

References