Doris Haddock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ethel Doris Rollins (1910-01-24)January 24, 1910[1] Laconia, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | March 9, 2010(2010-03-09) (aged 100)[2] Dublin, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Emerson College(BA) |
Doris "Granny D"Haddock (bornEthel Doris Rollins; January 24, 1910 – March 9, 2010) was an American political activist fromNew 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 3,200 miles (5,100 km) across thecontinental United States to advocate forcampaign finance reform. In 2004, she ran unsuccessfully as aDemocratic challenger to incumbentRepublicanJudd Gregg in theU.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, insouthern California and ending inWashington, D.C., on February 29, 2000.
Haddock requested aname change of hermiddle 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 theCheshire Countyprobate court.
Ethel Doris Rollins was born inLaconia, New Hampshire, the daughter of Ethel and Carl Rollins. She attendedEmerson College inBoston, 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 anhonorary degree in 2000.[3]
After marrying, she started a family; she had a daughter, Betty and a son, James Jr.. She worked during theGreat Depression and was employed for twenty years as an executive secretary in the offices of the BeeBee Shoe factory inManchester, New Hampshire. Haddock and her husband retired toDublin, New Hampshire, in 1972. Her husband later developedAlzheimer'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:[4] Kyle, David, Jennie, Kendall, Peyton, Matthew, Richard, Grace, Justin, William, James, Beatrix, Tucker, Mathilda, Parker, and Clay.[citation needed]
Haddock celebrated her 100th birthday on January 24, 2010,[5] and died six weeks later on March 9, 2010, at her son's home inDublin, New Hampshire, following a bout withrespiratory illness.[2]
She was a life-long member of theUnited Methodist Church.[6]
In 1960, Haddock began her political activism when she and her husband successfully campaigned against plannedhydrogen bombnuclear testing inAlaska that threatened anInuit fishing village atPoint Hope. The couple retired toDublin, New Hampshire, in 1972, and there, she served on the Planning Board and was active in the community.
After the first efforts of SenatorsJohn McCain andRuss Feingold to regulate campaign finances through eliminatingsoft money failed in 1995, Granny D became increasingly interested in campaign finance reform and spearheaded apetition movement. On January 1, 1999, at the age of 88, Granny D left theRose BowlTournament of Roses Parade inPasadena, 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, traversingCalifornia,Arizona,New Mexico,Texas,Arkansas,Tennessee,Kentucky,Ohio,West Virginia,Maryland,Virginia, and theDistrict of Columbia, making many speeches along the way. The trek attracted a great deal of attention in themass media. When Granny D arrived inWashington, 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 ofCongress walked the final miles with her during the final day's walk fromArlington National Cemetery to theCapitol on theNational Mall. A film, "Granny DGoes to Washington," by Alidra Solday, documents her walk across America, and was broadcast on PBS stations nationwide, 2006-2008.
In the2000 presidential election, Haddock endorsedGreen Party candidateRalph Nader.[7]
Haddock worked closely with state representativeBetty Hall, another New Hampshire grandmother, on campaign finance reform.[8]
On April 21, 2000, 90 year old Granny D, with 31 other Americans, was arrested for reading theDeclaration of Independence in theCapitol and charged with the offense of Demonstrating in the Capitol Building. It was said to be apeaceable assembly, but the demonstrators were arrested byCapitol Police.[9]
She entered a plea of guilty, then made a statement to the court reiterating "campaign finance reform" as the purpose of their demonstration.
Your Honor, the old woman who stands before you was arrested for reading the Declaration of Independence in America's Capitol Building. I did not raise my voice to do so and I blocked no hall.
...
I was reading from the Declaration of Independence to make the point that we must declare our independence from the corrupting bonds of big money in our election campaigns.
...
In my 90 years, this is the first time I have been arrested. I risk my good name --for I do indeed care what my neighbors think about me. But, Your Honor, some of us do not have much power, except to put our bodies in the way of an injustice--to picket, to walk, or to just stand in the way. It will not change the world overnight, but it is all we can do.
...
Your Honor, to the business at hand: the old woman who stands before you was arrested for reading the Declaration of Independence in America's Capitol Building. I did not raise my voice to do so and I blocked no hall. But if it is a crime to read the Declaration of Independence in our great hall, then I am guilty.[9]
The judge sentenced Granny D and her companions totime served and a $10 administrative fee.[9]
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"Granny D" co-authored several books with Dennis Burke. These includeGranny D: Walking Across America in My Ninetieth Year (Villard, 2001),Granny D: You're Never Too Old to Raise a Little Hell (Villard, 2003), andGranny D's American Century (University Press of New England, 2012). She was awarded an honorary degree byFranklin Pierce College on October 21, 2002. In 2005, she gave thecommencement speech atHampshire College.
She was 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. 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, 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. SenatorJudd Gregg, as he sought his third term. Gregg won about 66 percent (434,847) of the ballot.
In 2007,HBO released a documentary,Run Granny Run, directed byMarlo Poras, about "Granny D"'s 2004 Senate campaign. In 2009, she foundedCoalition for Open Democracy. Granny D continued to be active in politics to the end of her life, and celebrated her 98th, 99th and 100th birthdays by lobbying for campaign finance reform at the New Hampshire State House.
In 2000, Granny D received a special Martin Luther King Award from the Manchester, New Hampshire-based Martin Luther King Coalition.[10] She was the keynote speaker for that year's Martin Luther King Day Community Celebration in Manchester.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Judd Gregg (inc.) | 434,847 | 66.2 | |
| Democratic | Doris Haddock | 221,549 | 34.7 | |
| Write-in | 690 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 657,086 | 100 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Source:[11]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromNew Hampshire (Class 3) 2004 | Succeeded by |
