William Howard Doane (February 3, 1832 – December 24, 1915) was a manufacturer, inventor, hymn writer, choral director, church leader and philanthropist. He composed over 2,000 church hymns. More than seventy patents are credited to him for innovations in woodworking machinery. His philanthropy led to the renaming of the Granville Academy, as the Doane Academy, a boys' and girls' private preparatory school associated with
Denison University
Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...
in
Granville, Ohio
Granville is a village in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,646 at the 2010 census. The village is located in a rural area of rolling hills in central Ohio. It is east of Columbus, the state capital, and west of Newa ...
, where he was a major benefactor.
Early life
Doane was born in
Preston, Connecticut on February 3, 1832. His parents were Joseph Howes Doane (1797-1854) and Frances Treat Doane (1799-1881). He was the fifth of eight children.
His father was the head of Doane and Treat, cotton manufacturers.
At a young age Doane showed impressive musical talent. By early adolescence he was playing the flute, violin and double bass fiddle.
Doane attended the Woodstock Academy, a private secondary school affiliated with the
Congregational church
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
and located in
Woodstock, Connecticut
Woodstock is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,221 at the 2020 census.
History
17th century
In the mid-17th century, John Eliot, a Puritan missionary to the Native Americans, established "praying ...
. His musical talents enabled him to serve as the school's choir director.
[ Upon graduation in 1848, Doane went to work in the accounting section of his father's company. From there he moved to J. A. Fay & Company, a woodworking machinery company, for a long career leading to the company's presidency. On November 2, 1857 Doane married Mary Frances Treat, the daughter of his father's partner in their cotton manufacturing business.
]
Manufacturer and inventor
Doane assumed increasing responsibility with J. A. Fay & Company, as he traveled to assignments in Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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and Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
. By the age of thirty-four, Doane had risen to the position of president at the company's new headquarters in Cincinnati. During his leadership, the company successfully filed many patents for woodmaking machinery. More than seventy patents were registered in Doane's name, giving him credit for the inventions. Doane guided the company through its most successful years.
His business skills extended beyond manufacturing. He was the president of the Central Trust and Safe Deposit Company, as well as a director of the Barney and Smith Car Company
Barney and Smith Car Company was a railroad car manufacturer in Dayton, Ohio.
{{coord, 39.767096, -84.175273, display=title
Founded in 1849 by Eliam Eliakim Barney and Ebenezer Thresher as Thresher, Packard & Company, it changed names as partn ...
of Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...
. His achievements earned him "fellow" status in several professional organizations, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via " continuing ...
, the American Society of Mining Engineers, the American Geographical Society
The American Geographical Society (AGS) is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the ...
and the American Society for the Advancement of Science.[ Doane emerged as a prominent figure in Cincinnati's business and cultural life. By 1879 his accumulated wealth allowed him to purchase the impressive "Sunny Side" mansion as his family's residence in the city's Mt. Auburn neighborhood. "Sunny Side" is located in the Mount Auburn Historic District at 2223 Mt. Auburn Avenue.
]
Church activity and hymn writing
Although raised in a Presbyterian household, Doane converted to his mother's Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...
faith, while a young student at Woodstock Academy. This conversion began a lifelong commitment to service in that church, through his musical compositions, choir direction, denominational leadership and philanthropy.
Doane was a prolific composer of Christian hymn tune
A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part (or more) harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm (chords change frequently), with or without refrai ...
s. He edited forty-three collections of hymns and composed an estimated 2,300 works, including hundreds of original hymns and hymn settings. He is best known as a longtime collaborator of Fanny Crosby
Frances Jane van Alstyne (née Crosby; March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915), more commonly known as Fanny J. Crosby, was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. She was a prolific hymnist, writing more than 8,000 hymns ...
, having written music for an estimated 1,500 of Crosby's poems. As well as hymns, Doane composed secular instrumental, vocal, and choral works, including two cantatas on the legend of Santa Claus
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...
.
At Mt. Auburn Baptist Church in Cincinnati's Mt. Auburn neighborhood, Doane served long tenures as superintendent of the Sunday school program and director of the choir. As a denominational leader, he headed the Ohio Baptist Convention Ministers Aid Society. The church is located on Mt. Auburn Avenue, a short distance from the Doane family's "Sunny Side" residence.
Philanthropy
Doane generously supported Baptist churches and institutions. He was an important contributor to the Granville Academy, a school for boys preparing to enter Denison University, a school with strong Baptist heritage. In recognition of his significant support for the academy, including funds to construct conservatory buildings for music and art and a gymnasium, the academy was renamed the Doane Academy in 1895.
Benefactor for Denison University
Doane Administration.jpg, Doane Administration (1895), location of the university's administrative offices
Doane Dance Hall (1905).jpg, Doane Dance Building (1905), originally a gymnasium, then home to the Art Department, since 1975 home to the Dance Department
William Howard Doane Library (1937), Denison University, Granville, Ohio.jpg, William Howard Doane Library (1937), gift of Doane's daughters in their father's memory
Pipe organ donated to Denison University by William Howard Doane.jpg, Pipe organ donated by William Howard Doane and located in the Library
During his lifetime and through bequests in his will, Doane's philanthropy included Denison University
Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...
, Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have ...
, Baptist churches, the YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
, the Fanny Doane Home for Missionary Children in Granville and many other religious and civic organizations.[ After Doane's death, his wife and daughters continued the philanthropic work. His daughter Marguerite was a co-founder in 1927 of the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism. Her generous financial donations supported the organization through its early years.
]
Later years
After retirement from his business interests, Doane remained productive with music composition, choral direction, church work and philanthropy. With his wife and daughters he spent two years traveling in Europe. In 1894 Doane purchased 'Echo Lodge' in Watch Hill, Rhode Island
Watch Hill is an affluent coastal neighborhood and census-designated place in the town of Westerly, Rhode Island. The population was 154 at the 2010 census. It sits at the most-southwestern point in all of Rhode Island. It came to prominence in ...
(3 Aquidneck Avenue) as a seasonal seaside residence. Echo Lodge was located less than thirty miles from Preston, Connecticut, the childhood home of both Doane and his wife.
Doane died in South Orange, New Jersey
South Orange, officially the Township of South Orange Village, is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village's population was 16,198, reflecting a decline of 766 (4.5%) fro ...
on December 24, 1915. Along with other family members, he is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery
Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum () is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverton National Cemetery and Abraham ...
in Cincinnati.
Legacy
In 1875 Doane was awarded a Doctorate of Music degree from Denison University
Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...
. He became a major benefactor of the university, where two buildings continue to memorialize his philanthropy. The Doane Administration Building, built in 1894, serves as the offices for the President, Provost and Registrar. William Howard Doane Library, constructed in 1937, is the main campus library, and funded by Doane's daughters in his memory.
Doane's support for the evangelically-oriented Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have ...
is memorialized in the Doane Memorial Music Building. The building continues to house the Music Department's faculty, classrooms and student practice space. The J. A. Fay & Company's woodworking machinery quality was significantly improved by Doane's innovations and inventions. The company won numerous accolades around the world, including at the Paris Exposition of 1889, where it was awarded the Grand Prix. At the Exposition, Doane was honored as a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.[
William Howard Doane demonstrated a remarkable range of talents and achievement throughout his lifetime. His musical gifts included performance abilities with several instruments, hymn and cantata composition and choral direction. As a young man, he showed astute business and financial skills which propelled him to the presidency of an important manufacturing company by the age of thirty-four. A capacity for innovation and invention contributed to his company's success and advancements in the industry. His devotion to his Christian faith, local Baptist church and its broader denominational interests was widely recognized. Doane's philanthropy, across civic, educational and religious institutions, reflected a generous spirit committed to the common good.
]
References
External links
*
Free scores
at the Mutopia Project
The Mutopia Project is a volunteer-run effort to create a library of free content sheet music, in a way similar to Project Gutenberg's library of public domain books. It started in 2000.Portal page at thInternet ArchiveRetrieved January 24, 2 ...
Doane genealogy
Retrieved February 28, 2016
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doane, William Howard
1832 births
1915 deaths
People from Preston, Connecticut
Baptists from Connecticut
Christian music songwriters
Musicians from Connecticut
Musicians from Cincinnati
Converts to Baptist denominations
Baptists from Ohio
Converts from Presbyterianism
19th-century Baptists