Born near London, Shortt studied at Queen's University and in Scotland, later returning to Queen's where he established the department of political economy. A noted teacher, he was an advisor to governments, served on several commissions, and in 1908, after 22 years of teaching became a member of the first Canadian Civil Service Commission. In Ottawa, in association with the Dominion archivist, Arthur Doughty, he helped develop the collections of the national archives. Between 1913 and 1917 the two co-edited the important historical series Canada and its Provinces.