George was born at 8, Robinson Street, Grimsby. He went to school at the Wesleyan Day School in George Street, Grimsby. Certainly in May 1862 he was transferred from the Infants to the Upper School. This school was still in existence in 1908, when it was visited by Bob Lincoln author of Sir George Doughty . Then the headteacher was an E.J.Wright. At the age of 13, George left school and worked for a Mark Shepherd (Fudge) who had a furniture shop at the front and a workshop at the rear. This was on the corner of Wellington Street and Freeman Street, now known as the Wellington Arms, a pub. He left this after a short time and was apprenticed to Johnny Brown a builder of Victoria Street, by his father William. During his apprencticeship he joined a debating society, which was held in the Baptist School Room in Burgess Street. He considered joining the The Primitive Ministry, but his father could not afford the fees. Out of his apprenticeship to joined up with a George Woodhead, forming Woodhead & Doughty. They had premises near the footbridge in the Central Market which in 1912 was owned by Beels & Axe. He fell in love with Rebecca Vere. She was the neice of John Vere, whose firm was Smith, Stephenson & Vere engineers. Rebecca Vere worked as a grocery assistant in a store run by Henry Smethurst Senior(later an Alderman). This shop was on Victoria Street, near to Lock Hill, next to Kirk's the butchers(now Wolfe's in 1912)

 He married Rebecca on April 10th 1879 at Victoria St Primitive Methodist Chapel. Rev Robert Harrison presided, and the marriage was witnessed by Henry Smethurst Senior, and Annie Doughty(his sister). Rebecca was 31 years of age at the time of her marriage and on the marriage certificate her father is shown as Thomas Warrs Vere, an engineer. George Doughty was then described as a builder living at Willingham Terrace, Weelsby, Clee. William Abbott was his best man,who was later clerk for Wades a timber merchants at Hull. George's partnership with George Woodhead was dissolved and George went to live in Maude Street, living in a house occupied in 1912 by the Wellow Brewery Company as a bottling store. He lived in the house and used the workshops at the rear for his business. Two children were born in this house, Wilfred Vere Doughty and Annie Vere Doughty ( later wife of Roland Charlton the son of John Charlton a shipbuilder) Amongst properties built by his contractors was Hepworth's shop in Freeman Street, three houses and shops in Cleethorpes Road(Mr Forrester , the druggist being one). He also was responsible for the woodwork in Flottergate Methodist church. He also built properties in Princes Avenue and on "Goods Pond" owned by Earl of Yarborough, and Dudley Street, indeed he moved to live in Gordon House, Dudley Street. He also built property in the New Clee district, including Cleethorpe Road up to Park Street, Hamilton Street etc.

The Hull Packet and East Riding Times (Hull, England), Friday, April 18, 1879; Issue 4887, reported that George attended at Barton, for the Liberal Registration Association to open a liberal association in that town. George Doughty was elected as a member of the committee.
The Hull Packet and East Riding Times (Hull, England), Thursday, April 29, 1880; Issue 4967, reported that George had been elected to serve on the committee of this association, when it met in the Black Bull Inn on Tuesday April, 27th, 1880.
The Hull Packet and East Riding Times (Hull, England), Friday, January 27, 1882; Issue 5076. John Holtby, John Gervaise Smith,  John Garner, and George Doughty, the last three being builders were before the Magistrates court On Monday January, 23rd, charged with leaving building materials on the road. They left a pair of cuts on the road with a tank on it.  They each were fined 12 shillings.

The Hull Packet and East Riding Times (Hull, England), Friday, May 11, 1883; Issue 5143. George Doughty was one of the travelling preachers delegates who attended the conference from Grimsby, he also attended the temperance meeting as a reader.

 On 1st November 1884 he was elected onto the Grimsby Town Council.

The Hull Packet and East Riding Times (Hull, England), Friday, July 17, 1885; Issue 5258. George Doughty was chairman of a Demonstration Committee: In Grimsby's People's Park, the council closed the park, and there was Demonstration Committee set up tp protest about it, George was Chairman and was called as a witness to a hearing of the Magistrates Court when  one of the committee was charged with obstruction. At the time the council charged an entry fee to enter the park, and the committee was set up to protest that as the Council owned the park, and they were ratepayers they had freedom to enter the park without payment. One of the members was arrested for causing an obstruction, found guilty and fined 2shillings and sixpence and 17 shillings and sixpence costs.



On 17th April 1886 he was an elected member of Clee Local Board. In the early 80's he built some property for a man who paid him in shares in the Grimsby Ice Company. Henry Smethurst reformed this company and asked George to occupy a seat on the Directorate This was in 1886. By this means he came to hear about the effect of the steam trawler and in 1888 with Thomas Baskcomb formed the North Eastern Steam Fishing Company on 14th November 1888. The company was divided into 3000 shares of £10 each.
The Leeds Mercury (Leeds, England), Tuesday, January 8, 1889; Issue 15836. Shows that George was a nomination for the Clee with Weelsby, north elctoral division.


Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser (Dublin, Ireland), Tuesday, May 13, 1890; Issue N/A. shows Alderman George Doughty of Grimsby as being a director of the Kingston Machinist Company Ltd, Hull

 George bought 50 shares, and he was shown as the Chairman of the company, with Herbert Crabtree his secretary in 1891. Then George bought 4 steam trawlers on his own account.Then George met with Frederick Hagerup, ex-Russian Consul, to form Hagerup & Doughty. On April 14th 1890 he was an elected member of the Grimsby Board of Guardians and elected as alderman for the County Borough of Grimsby on November 9th 1891. George then sold Gordon House to H.J. Curry the proprietor of the Prince of Wales theatre and had built for himself, in 1892, "Wood Furze" in Abbey Road/Wellowgate. On July 7th  1891 The International Steam Trawling Company, was formed. It had a share capital of £250,000, and Thomas Baskcomb was one ot its directors, George was chairman after selling his 4 trawlers to the company. Walter James Wood, son of Dr. Wood minister of Flottergate Church became Marine Surveyor of the company.

Glasgow Herald (Glasgow, Scotland), Thursday, November 10, 1892; Issue 270. reported a list of persons elected mayor and Alderman George Doughty was shown as elected mayor of Grimsby, as a Liberal Unionist.

On November 9th 1892 he was elected mayor of Grimsby and served his year to November 1893
The Leeds Mercury (Leeds, England), Friday, December 28, 1894; Issue 17700., shows George Doughty as being adopted by the Grimsby Liberal Three Hundred as the Liberal candiate for the borough.
IBERAL MEETING AT GRIMSBY
The Leeds Mercury (Leeds, England), Thursday, February 28, 1895; Issue 17753., Alderman Doughty selected as candidate for the Liberal party seat of the Borough.

 He was then elected MP for Grimsby for 1895 and  1898, 1902,1906 and 1910. He stood for the Liberals in 1895, but disagreed with Gladstone's home rule policy and resigned. He returned as a Unionist. He lost his seat in 1910 but returned again at the end of the year.

Aberdeen Weekly Journal (Aberdeen, Scotland), Friday, April 16, 1897; Issue 13173. reported a letter written by George Doughty MP to the Times about the Scottish fishing industry.

 In 1898, the International and North Eastern were amalgamated with George Chairman, now MP. There were now 38 trawlers in the fleet. In addition to the companies other departments followed including a twine factory in Ropery St. The company opened a ship building yard on Bumble Creek, but this was not successful and closed. Also in 1898, he was elected Chairman of the Grimsby Times & Telegraph Co Ltd. This newspaper business was originally the Grimsby Independent which "Hagerup & Doughty" purchased in 1898 as an official organ of George Doughty. The company then produced 3 papers, Grimsby Telegraph nightly at a halfpenny, "Grimsby Times" on a Friday and "Grimsby Saturday Telegraph" This paper was the official Unionist paper. Wilfrid Vere Doughty BA JP became its editor.

In 1904 George's company the G.C. R Company? bought and developed 30, 778 square yards of building land between West marsh Lane and Dock Road. He rebuilt Alexander Road and had houses built upon it. Hewins & Good hand built 6 shops on Corporation Road. On 14th January 1904, Rebecca Vere died on his daughter  Annie's 21st birthday. She died at Watham Hall, quite suddenly.

George was knighted in the Birthday honours of King Edward vii announced the Times on June 24th, 1904, on the same list as Doctor Edward Elgar!

In 1905, Hagerup & Doughty, The Ice factory Ltd and the Monarch Steam Trawling Company were amalgated to form the Consolidated Steam Fishing Company Ltd.  This had a fleet of 94 trawlers, (1000 hands), engineers, boilermakers, butchers,etc, an Ice section which worked 24 hours a day and produced some 300 tons of ice a day an 109,000 tons a year. The company was also involved in cold storage.
Early on Sunday 13th January, 1907 he drove to Grimsby Railway Station in his Wolsley motor car accompanied by his son Wilfrid and Mr. and Mrs. Rowland Charlton, to catch the Great Northern Special for Kings Cross which left Grimsby at 0750am, in preparation for his tour of India. From Kings Cross he transferred to Charing Cross, where he took a train to Marseilles, and then boarded the P & O Steamer "Macedonia" bound for Port Said. MACEDONIA: 10,512 grt; 530 x 60; Harland & Wolff, Belfast, 1904; Australia service;
The "Macedonia" left Marseilles on 11am Friday on route to Bombay (Lloyd's List), by February 18th, The Times reported that Macedonia had left Bombay to Shanghai via Singapore.
 On this tour he wrote a diary, which was published in weekly instalments in the Grimsby Telegraph.

In 1907 during a tour of India he met Eugenia Bertrance Stone OBE of Melbourne and married her in St James Church, Spanish Place, London on August 15th 1907. The marriage was a great social event and he receieved wedding gifts from both the Parliamentary party and the Corporation, which included a coat of arms. He was a Freemason, initiated to the Pelham Pillar Lodge on 7th April 1894. he founded Smythe Lodge and was Worshipful master in 1894. He also helped found Earl of Yarborough Lodge.

He died on 27th April, 1914,  leaving a will of £47,000 but with debts anounted to £23,000 and was buried in Waltham parish churchyard in a family vault. Eugenia died on 20th June, 1934 at her home at River House, Esher. She is buried in Scartho Road cemetery.