Granny D

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Granny D

Granny D with Former US Senator Mike Gravel.
Born January 24, 1910 (1910-01-24) (age 98)
Flag of the United States 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. Haddock famously walked across the continental United States in 1999 to advocate campaign finance reform and in 2004 ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican Judd Gregg for the U.S. Senate.

Haddock's walk across the country took a southern route and took over 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.

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[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). Though Granny D never graduated from Emerson, she was awarded an honorary degree in 2000. 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 and 16 great-grandchildren, some of whom 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] Later life

Two books were written by Granny D, 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 after her leading opponent in the Democratic primary unexpectedly left the race because of a campaign-finance scandal. She was, at 94, one of the oldest major-party candidates to ever run for the U.S. Senate and lost to incumbent Republican Judd Gregg, capturing 34 percent of the vote (roughly 222,000 votes) to Gregg's 66 percent (approximately 435,000 votes).

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

[edit] Awards

Key to the city:

[edit] Electoral history

  • 2004 election for U.S. Senate

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ “About Granny D”, Run Granny Run (GrannyD.com), <http://www.grannyd.com/about-grannyd.html>. Retrieved on 2007-10-23 

[edit] External links