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(Redirected from Doris Haddock)

'Granny D' (born 'Ethel Doris Haddock', January 24, 1910) is an American politician and liberal political activist from the state of New Hampshire. Noted for her colorful character, warm personality, and advanced age, 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.

Contents

Early life

Political career

Advocacy for campaign finance reform

Later life

Awards

See also

External links

Early 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 and worked during the Great Depression and was employed in a shoe factory in Manchester for 20 years.

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. There Granny D served on the Planning Board and was active in the community. Her husband later developed Alzheimer's disease, dying after a ten-year struggle.

Advocacy for campaign finance reform

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.

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 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 (222,000 votes) to Gregg's 66 percent (approximately 435,000 votes).
Granny D has one son, James, and a daughter, Elizabeth, who died of Alzheimer's in 2005. She also has eight grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, some of whom walked with her for portions of her cross-country trek.
She has endorsed Mike Gravel for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election.
She is a signatory to the 9/11 Truth Statement. [1]

Awards

'Key to the city:'


★ Austin, Texas

★ Birmingham, Alabama

★ Clarksburg, West Virginia

★ Davenport, Iowa

★ Ferndale, Michigan

★ Fort Worth, Texas

★ Keene, New Hampshire

★ Las Cruces, New Mexico

★ Lordsburg, New Mexico

★ Parker, Arizona

★ Parkersburg, West Virginia

★ Tombstone, Arizona

★ Upland, California

See also

★ Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, "McCain-Feingold"

External links

★ Official website

★ Keynote Graduation address at Hampshire College by Doris "Granny D" Haddock

★ Campaign Finance Bill Draw Ires in New Hampshire