Doane served about 60 years in ordained ministry, a huge span for those times. As bishop, he managed the construction of the Cathedral of All Saints in Albany, the first Episcopal cathedral built for that purpose in the United States. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Doane is probably best known today for his Anglican hymn, "Ancient of Days". As a student at Burlington College in New Jersey, he was one of three founding members of the "Delta" chapter of the college fraternity of Delta Psi (ΔΨ)), later known as St. Anthony Hall after the chapter transferred to the nearby University of Pennsylvania.