James Duane Doty (November 5, 1799 – June 13, 1865) was a land speculator and politician in the United States who played an important role in the development of Wisconsin and Utah Territory.

He was less than three years old when his family moved to Martinsburg, New York, which was founded by his mother's brother General Walter Martin.

[2]: pp.35–36 In 1818, Doty moved to Detroit, the capital of Michigan Territory, where he became an apprentice to Charles Larned, the attorney general.

[2]: p.21  In the winter of 1822 Doty traveled to Washington, D.C., where on March 13, with the sponsorship of Henry Wheaton, he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.

[2]: p.39  Because he was required to live within his district, Doty and his new wife moved from Detroit to Prairie du Chien in 1823.

In 1835, Doty campaigned to represent western Michigan Territory as a delegate in Congress, but he lost in a three-way election to George Wallace Jones.

Doty had this land surveyed and platted, and made plans to create a city on the isthmus between lakes Mendota and Monona.

Despite being elected as a Democrat, Doty formed personal friendships with several Whigs in Washington, D.C., including Henry Clay.

A second convention called in late 1847 produced a constitution that was accepted by the people, and this enabled Wisconsin to achieve statehood in 1848.

In 1861, Doty returned to public service when Republican President Abraham Lincoln appointed him to the position of Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Utah Territory.

In 1863, Stephen Selwyn Harding, Utah's territorial governor, was removed from office after public backlash from his criticism of the LDS Church and the practice of polygamy.

Doty died in office at age 65 on June 13, 1865, shortly after the outbreak of Utah's Black Hawk War.