Doris Haddock

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Doris "Granny D" Haddock
Born	January 24, 1910 (1910-01-24) (age 100) Laconia, New Hampshire, United States
Occupation	Political activist

Doris "Granny D" Haddock (born Ethel Doris Rollins, January 24, 1910^[1]) is an American politician and liberal political activist from the state of New Hampshire. Between 1999 and 2000, over a span of fourteen months, Haddock famously walked across the continental United States to advocate campaign finance reform. In 2004 she ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican Judd Gregg for the U.S. Senate.

Haddock's walk across the country followed a southern route and took more than a year to complete, starting on January 1, 1999, in southern California and ending in Washington D.C. on February 29, 2000.

Haddock requested a name change of her middle name to "Granny D," the name by which she has long been known. On August 19, 2004, Haddock's request was officially granted by Judge John Maher during a hearing at the Cheshire County probate court.

Contents 1 Personal life 2 Political career 2.1 Campaign Finance Reform Advocate 3 Post-election 4 Quotes 5 Awards 6 Electoral history 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Personal life

Granny D was born in Laconia, New Hampshire. She attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, for three years before marrying James Haddock (nicknamed Jim). College students were not allowed to marry at that time, so she was kicked out of Emerson and awarded an honorary degree in 2000 instead. After marrying, Granny D started a family; she had son James Jr and daughter Elisabeth. She worked during the Great Depression and was employed in a shoe factory in Manchester for 20 years.

Granny D and her husband retired to Dublin, New Hampshire, in 1972. Her husband later developed Alzheimer's disease, dying after a ten-year struggle. In 2005, Granny D's daughter Elizabeth also died of Alzheimer's.

Granny D has eight grandchildren—Heidi, Gillian, David Bradley, William, Alice, Joseph, Lawrence, and Raphael; and 16 great-grandchildren - Kyle, David, Jennie, Kendall, Payton, Matthew, Richard, Grace, Justin, William, James, Beatrix, Tucker, Mathilda, Parker and Clayton. Some of these people walked with her for portions of her cross-country trek.

[edit] Political career

In 1960, Granny D began her political career when she and her husband successfully campaigned against planned hydrogen bomb nuclear testing in Alaska, saving an Inuit fishing village at Point Hope. Granny D and her husband retired to Dublin, New Hampshire, in 1972 and there Granny D served on the Planning Board and was active in the community.

[edit] Campaign Finance Reform Advocate

After the first efforts of Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold to regulate campaign finances through eliminating soft money failed in 1995, Granny D became increasingly interested in campaign finance reform and spearheaded a petition movement. On January 1, 1999, at the age of 88, Granny D left the Rose Bowl Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, in an attempt to walk across the United States to raise awareness of and attract support for campaign finance reform.

Granny D walked roughly ten miles each day for 14 months, traversing California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, making many speeches along the way. The trek attracted a great deal of attention in the mass media. When Granny D arrived in Washington, D.C., she was 90 years old (having begun the journey at 88 and having two birthdays en route), had traveled more than 3200 miles, and was greeted in the capital by a crowd of 2200 people. Several dozen members of Congress walked the final miles with her during the final day's walk from Arlington National Cemetery to the Capitol on the National Mall.

[edit] Post-election

Granny D has written two books, both co-authored with Dennis Burke. In 2005, she gave the commencement speech at Hampshire College. She was awarded an honorary degree by Franklin Pierce College on October 21, 2002.

Granny D became the Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire during the 2004 election when the leading Democratic primary candidate left the race unexpectedly (days before the filing deadline), because of a campaign-finance scandal. (See: http://grannyd.com/about-grannyd.html) Haddock was, at 94, one of the oldest major-party candidates to ever run for the U.S. Senate. True to her "clean elections" ideals, Mrs. Haddock funded her late entry campaign by accepting only modest private-citizen donations. She captured approximately 34 percent of the vote (221,549), losing to incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Judd Gregg, as he sought his third term. Mr. Gregg won about 66 percent (434,847) of the ballot. (http://www.sos.nh.gov/general%202004/sumuss04.htm)

In 2007 HBO released a documentary, Run Granny Run, directed by Marlo Poras, about Granny D's 2004 Senate campaign.

She continues to be active in politics, and celebrated her 99th birthday by lobbying for campaign finance reform at the New Hampshire State House. She turned 100 years old on January 24, 2010.

[edit] Quotes

"Democracy is not something we have, it's something we do."^[2]

"I, for one, am certainly going to continue to raise a little hell." (discussing her post-election life in her documentary)

"I may have lost the election but I have not lost my reason to live."

"Our country is supposed to be of the people, by the people and for the people, and if that's not worth fighting for I don't know what is."

"I want to plant a few more seeds here and there before they plant me."

[edit] Awards

Key to the city:

[edit] Electoral history

United States Senate election in New Hampshire, 2004

• Judd Gregg (R) (inc.), 66%
• Doris Haddock (D), 34%

[edit] See also

• Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, "McCain-Feingold"
• Peace Pilgrim

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Keynote Graduation address at Hampshire College by Doris "Granny D" Haddock
• Campaign Finance Bill Draw Ires in New Hampshire
• Run Granny Run at the Internet Movie Database
• Feature on Granny D by the International Museum of Women.

Party political offices
Preceded by George Condodemetraky	Democratic nominee for United States Senator from New Hampshire (Class 3) 2004	Succeeded by Most recent (Next election: 2010)