Michael Doran (November 1, 1827 – February 20, 1915) was a Minnesota politician and businessman.

Biography

Michael Doran was born in County Meath, Ireland on November 1, 1827. He emigrated to New York in 1850, then moved to Norwalk, Ohio, the following year. In 1855, he married Helen Brady of Norwalk. He took out a land claim in

Kilkenny, Minnesota Kilkenny is a city in Le Sueur County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 134 at the 2010 census. It was named after the city and county of Kilkenny in Ireland. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has ...

, ( Le Sueur County) in 1856 and established a farm there the following year. His first wife died in 1862, leaving four young children. Doran was elected county treasurer of Le Sueur County on the Democratic ticket in 1862, serving four successive terms. In 1865, he married his second wife, Catherine O'Grady. Nine children were born of this marriage. In 1870, Doran was elected to the Minnesota State Senate 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

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

. He lived in Le Sueur until 1888, when he sold out his local interests, and moved to St. 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 Bimetallism, also known as the bimetallic standard, is a monetary standard in which the value of the monetary unit is defined as equivalent to certain quantities of two metals, typically gold and silver, creating a fixed rate of exchange betwee ...

. He was a close political and personal friend of Grover Cleveland, who gave him the principal credit for procuring his third presidential nomination in 1892. Doran died in St. Paul on February 20, 1915. He is the namesake of the city of

Doran, Minnesota Doran is a city in Wilkin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 36 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND- MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office called Doran was established in 1892, and remaine ...

References

External links

"Minnesota Territorial Pioneers - Biographical Sketches of Territorial Pioneers"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doran, Michael 1827 births Democratic Party Minnesota state senators 1915 deaths 19th-century American politicians