Douglas Kohler is a local historian and author who has written extensively about early Western New York. He taught history at Clarence Middle School for 36 years before retiring in 2025. In 2009, he was appointed Erie County historian. He earned history degrees from Canisius College and Pace University and is working on his PhD at the University of Reading (UK), with a focus on the portrayals of race and gender at world's fairs and expositions. As county historian, he helped to develop content for the Buffalo History Museum's Erie Canal exhibit, and he's currently working with the museum on developing the content for the 125th anniversary of the Pan-American Exposition. He also does research and writing for Buffalo/Toronto Public Media's award winning series, “Compact History.”