Charles Doty

Charles Doty was an American surveyor, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was one of the first American children born in what is now Wisconsin, and served in the 1st Wisconsin Legislature, representing His father was Wisconsin Territory governor James Duane Doty.

Biography

Doty was born in what is now Green Bay, Wisconsin, on August 17, 1824. At the time of his birth, the area was known as "Shanty Town" and was still part of the Michigan Territory. He was a descendant of Mayflower colonist Edward Doty. He was trained to be a civil engineer and surveyor in Derry, New Hampshire. He was the son of Wisconsin territorial governor James Duane Doty and served as his father's private secretary. Doty married Sarah Jane Webster in 1846, and they had three sons. He served in the United States Army during the Civil War. After the war, Doty took inventory of supplies for the Native Americans and eventually retired to St. Andrews in Bay County, Florida, where he died.
In 1848, he served in the 1st Wisconsin Legislature as a Whig member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.