Stephanie Dorgan

Stephanie Elizabeth Dorgan is a lawyer and entrepreneur. She was the founder of the Crocodile Cafe, a music venue in Seattle.

Early life Dorgan is the oldest of four children. She grew up in the Tri-Cities in Eastern Washington. She practice law as an associate of the Davis Wright Tremaine law firm in Seattle where she specialized in First Amendment cases. At the time, Belltown was not an obvious choice for a live music venue because most successful clubs were located in Pioneer Square.

Despite the depressed economy, the timing proved excellent for the "Croc" as it is known locally. The Seattle music scene was starting to gain national international attention due to groups like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Specifically, they accused Dorgan of failing to keep cash receipts from live-music admission fees, the sales of cigarettes and t-shirts, as well as revenue from pinball machines and a pool table. Indeed, some mistakenly believed Buck had founded the club even though he wasn't really involved in the running of the club at all and it was already a "pretty happening concern" before his involvement. The economic slump after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 impacted the club, as did the gentrification of Belltown. The more affluent new residents of Belltown were not necessarily people who would attend live music performances, and the Croc had trouble competing with upscale new businesses in the area. He became a big part of the local music scene, became Kurt Cobain's neighbor and joined local bands. In January 1995, Dorgan married Peter Buck in Perth, Australia while R.E.M. was on tour. The couple separated in January 2006, and a divorce was finalized in February 2007 without spousal support by either party.