Edward W. Doty

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Edward W. Doty

U.S. Coast Guard • Gold Star

Pre-War:	Taylor Instrument Companies (Ames St. Plant)
Residence:	Ridge Road, Clarkson, NY
Branch:	United States Coast Guard
Rank:	Coast Guardsman
Incident:	Sept. 9, 1942 (Patrol Boat Explosion, Lorain, OH)
Died:	September 10, 1942
Honors:	Taylor WWII Gold Star Memorial Citation

Edward W. Doty (d. 1942)

Taylor Instrument craftsman and U.S. Coast Guardsman who gave his life in World War II.

Pre-War Career at Taylor Instrument

Before enlisting in the armed forces, Edward W. Doty lived on Ridge Road in Clarkson, New York, and was employed at the main Ames Street manufacturing campus of the Taylor Instrument Companies in Rochester. During this pre-war period, Taylor was heavily engaged in manufacturing precision instruments, aviation altimeters, and industrial process control devices.

Military Service & Patrol Boat Explosion

Doty left his manufacturing position at Taylor to enlist in the **United States Coast Guard**.

In September 1942, Coast Guardsman Doty was deployed on the Great Lakes, stationed aboard a naval patrol vessel operating at Lorain, Ohio. On **September 9, 1942**, a catastrophic explosion occurred on board the patrol craft. Doty was severely burned in the blast and the ensuing fire.

Supreme Sacrifice & Remembrance

Coast Guardsman Doty succumbed to his injuries the following day, **September 10, 1942**.

Ten months later, on July 28, 1943, when the War Department presented the coveted Army-Navy “E” Production Award to Taylor Instrument Companies, Doty was formally remembered alongside R. H. Mosher and W. D. Sells as one of three employees who had made the supreme sacrifice in defense of the nation.

Primary Archival Sources:

• Rochester Public Library, Local History & Genealogy Division, World War II Master Card File Index (Monroe County service record: Doty, Edward W.; Coast Guardsman; Ridge Rd., Clarkson; fatal patrol boat explosion Sept. 9, 1942 at Lorain, OH; died Sept. 10, 1942).
• Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY), casualty & obituary notices, September 11–12, 1942.
• Taylor Instrument Companies, Army-Navy “E” Award Presentation Program, July 28, 1943, Page 11 (“Let us pause in our celebration tonight... Three have already made the supreme sacrifice • ★ E. Doty”).