Alan Short

Alan Short
Member of the California Senate
from the 6th district
In office
January 2, 1967 - December 2, 1974
Preceded byStan Pittman
Succeeded byGeorge Moscone
Member of the California Senate
from the 20th district
In office
January 3, 1955 - January 2, 1967
Preceded byVerne W. Hoffman
Succeeded byWilliam E. Coombs
Personal details
Born(1920-02-22)February 22, 1920
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedMarch 6, 2004(2004-03-06) (aged 84)
Sacramento, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseSylvia Lucille Stevens
Children1
EducationCollege of the Pacific
Hastings College of Law
Military service
Branch/service United States Navy
Battles/warsWorld War II

Alan Short (February 22, 1920 – March 6, 2004) was an American politician. A third-generation Californian, He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II. He attended local schools in Stockton, California and College of the Pacific and was a graduate of Hastings College of Law. He became Deputy District Attorney of San Joaquin County. Short was elected as a Democrat to the California State Senate in 1954, representing Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties, and served for 20 years.[1][2]

He is recognized nationally in the United States for his Community Mental Health Service Act (Short-Doyle Act) of 1957,[3] co-authored with Assemblyman Donald D. Doyle (February 6, 1915 – January 31, 2011)[4][5] and signed into law by Governor Goodwin Knight, and is well known for his legislation in the field of mental health and developmental disabilities. Short retired from the State Senate in 1974.

Senator Short served as chairman of the California Senate Select Committee on Laws Relating to Alcoholic Beverages from 1972 to 1974.[6]

He was married to Mary Short, an accomplished photographer, who founded the Alan Short Center (ASC) in Stockton in 1976.[7]

  1. ^ "JoinCalifornia - Alan Short".
  2. ^ Cooper, Audrey (2004-03-09). "Ex-state Senator Short dies". Retrieved 2013-09-13. (subscription required)
  3. ^ AUERBACK A (May 1959). "The Short-Doyle Act; California community mental health services program: background and status after one year". Calif Med. 90 (5): 335–8. PMC 1577700. PMID 13651957.
  4. ^ "Donald Doyle Obituary (2011) - San Francisco, CA - Contra Costa Times". Legacy.com.
  5. ^ "JoinCalifornia - Donald D. Doyle".
  6. ^ Guide to the Papers relating to the California Senate Select Committee on Laws Relating to Alcoholic Beverages, 1972-1974 at The Bancroft Library
  7. ^ "DDSO Home Page". Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2012-09-08.