William “Bill” Dooley, Jr. was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. In 1978 his work brought him to Minnesota. Dooley is a long-time employee of American Family Insurance where he took early retirement in 2004. He received a mid-career law degree from William Mitchell College of Law, graduating in 1992. While at American Family, he worked in their underwriting, claims and legal departments and finished his career as a government affairs counsel.

Dooley returned to the workforce in 2006 and is currently working for Volunteer Lawyers Network, a local nonprofit, as a case coordinator. He is married with two grown daughters. One daughter is a Minneapolis firefighter and the other is a Registered Nurse.