Doris "Granny D" Haddock (born Ethel Doris Rollins; January 24, 1910 – March 9, 2010) was an American political activist from New Hampshire. Haddock achieved national fame when, between the ages of 88 and 90, starting on January 1, 1999, and culminating on February 29, 2000, she walked over across the continental United States to advocate for campaign finance reform. In 2004, she ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican Judd Gregg in the U.S. Senate election in New Hampshire. At age 94 at the time, Haddock was the oldest congressional candidate in U.S. history.

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 had 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.

Personal life

Ethel Doris Rollins was born in Laconia, New Hampshire, the daughter of Ethel and Carl Rollins. She attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, for three years before marrying James Haddock. Emerson students were not allowed to marry at that time, so she was expelled. She was, however, later awarded an honorary degree in 2000.

After marrying, she started a family; she had a daughter, Betty and a son, James Jr.. She worked during the Great Depression and was employed for twenty years as an executive secretary in the offices of the BeeBee Shoe factory in Manchester, New Hampshire. Haddock and her husband retired to Dublin, New Hampshire, in 1972. Her husband later developed Alzheimer's disease, dying after a ten-year struggle with the illness. At about the same time, Haddock's best friend died. During her 1999 walk across the nation, the hat that Haddock was seen in was one that belonged originally to her best friend. Haddock had eight grandchildren: Heidi, Gillian, David Bradley, William, Alice, Joseph, Lawrence, and Raphael. She also had 16 great-grandchildren: Kyle, David, Jennie, Kendall, Peyton, Matthew, Richard, Grace, Justin, William, James, Beatrix, Tucker, Mathilda, Parker, and Clay.

Haddock celebrated her 100th birthday on January 24, 2010, and died six weeks later on March 9, 2010, at her son's home in Dublin, New Hampshire, following a bout with respiratory illness.

Activist career

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

Campaign finance reform advocate

thumb|Doris "Granny D" Haddock speaking at a podium outside the U.S. Capitol after her walk from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.

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 3,200 miles, and was greeted in the capital by a crowd of 2,200 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. A film, "Granny D

Goes to Washington," by Alidra Solday, documents her walk across America, and was broadcast on PBS stations nationwide, 2006-2008.

In the 2000 presidential election, Haddock endorsed Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.

Haddock worked closely with state representative Betty Hall, another New Hampshire grandmother, on campaign finance reform.

Arrest at the Capitol

On April 21, 2000, 90 year old Granny D, with 31 other Americans, was arrested for reading the Declaration of Independence in the Capitol and charged with the offense of Demonstrating in the Capitol Building. It was said to be a peaceable assembly, but the demonstrators were arrested by Capitol Police.

The judge sentenced Granny D and her companions to time served and a $10 administrative fee. She was the keynote speaker for that year's Martin Luther King Day Community Celebration in Manchester.

Electoral history

Source:

See also

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

References

  • Keynote Graduation address at Hampshire College by Doris "Granny D" Haddock
  • Campaign Finance Bill Draw Ires in New Hampshire
  • . and "Granny D Goes to Washington."
  • Feature on Granny D by the International Museum of Women.
  • December '09 Email Interview with Granny D at Rigid Morality
  • August 2004 interview with Doris on Democracy Now!