He had a distinguished career in politics, having served as Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign director in Indiana, managed Edward M. Kennedy’s 1962 Senate campaign, and directed Jimmy Carter’s New York presidential campaign in 1976. Doherty also served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1956 to 1964. He was named 1994 Democrat of the Year by the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, having served as its chairman from 1962 to 1967. Doherty was a prominent Boston lobbyist and a member of the Massachusetts Board of Regents of Higher Education. He currently serves on the board of directors for the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Doherty received a JD from Suffolk University in 1961, a master’s degree in health administration from Wayne State University in Detroit, and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.