Catholic benefactor and former Goldman Sachs & Co. partner dies

He died on April 24 at his home in Rye, New York, following a long illness, according to a death notice released today by Graham Funeral Home in Rye.

As overseer of the firm's purse strings, Doty handled financial matters of all sizes, ranging from the requisite capital contributions by new partners to expenditures on office furniture.

"Facetiously, we used to call him the 'no' partner, and the rest of us probably were 'yes' partners," John C. Whitehead, 90, whose 37-year tenure at Goldman Sachs culminated in eight years as co-head of the firm, said today in an interview. "George was the cautionary voice: 'Have you thought of this? Have you thought of that? What if such-and-such happens?' He was a go-slow, be-careful partner, very valuable in helping make the firm's decisions."

Outside Wall Street, Doty, who was Catholic, was known as a major philanthropist, particularly to religious causes and institutions.

Supporting Catholic Groups

He and his wife of 63 years, Marie, who died in 2008, "have been especially good to Catholic concerns for alleviating poverty, strengthening higher education and supporting family life," the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, a papal agency that promotes Christian unity and provides humanitarian assistance, said in a blog posting today.