Career
He emigrated to New York in 1850, then moved to Norwalk, Ohio the following year. He took out a land claim in Kilkenny, Minnesota (Le Sueur County) in 1856, and established a farm there the following year. Doran was elected county treasurer of Le Sueur County on the Democratic ticket in 1862, serving four successive terms.
Nine children were born of this marriage.
In 1870 Doran was elected state senator from Le Sueur County, and served several terms. In 1870 he moved from Kilkenny township to Le Sueur, Minnesota, and entered the banking business.
In 1875, he went into the milling business at Le Sueur. Late in the 1870s he entered into partnership in a banking and brokerage business in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
He lived in Le Sueur until 1888, when he sold out his local interests, and moved to Saint Paul, where he continued with his banking concerns.
Doran was chairman of the Minnesota Democratic State Central Committee on numerous occasions and was chairman of the National Democratic Committee from 1888 to 1896, when he resigned over differences with his party on bimetallism. Doran died in Saint Paul in 1915. He is the namesake of the city of Doran, Minnesota.
