Who Is Ellis Short?

The number of Premier League clubs owned by Americans became four this week after Dallas-based businessman Ellis Short acquired controlling interest in Sunderland.

Short now owns the largest single stake of Sunderland at more than 30 per cent, and gives him effective control of the northeast club. He joins fellow Americans Malcolm Glazer, Randy Lerner, Tom Hicks and George Gillett as owners of Premier League clubs.

So what is known about Ellis Short? Here’s his fact sheet:

Grew up in Independence, Missouri.

He began his career at General Electric before teaming up with business partner John Grayken at Lone Star Funds, a private equity firm based in Dallas, Texas. At Lone Star Funds, he was the senior executive who ran the Asian operations of Lone Star Funds.

Subject of an arrest warrant in 2003 by the South Korean authorities in relation to the purchase of Korea Exchange Bank, but the charges were dropped.

He has subsequently retired from Lone Star Funds.

In 2003, he bought Skibo Castle, which now operates as a members-only hotel and country club in Scotland. The castle is famous for hosting Madonna’s wedding to Guy Ritchie in 2000.

Ellis Short and his wife are very private individuals, but one scandal of note happened last year when Mrs Short allegedly threatened to shoot a retired couple’s dogs because they were walking across the Skibo Castle Estate. In Scottish law, there’s no law of trespass.