Doris "Granny D" Haddock (January 24, 1910) 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 3,200 miles 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 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 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. 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 kicked out of college and awarded an
honorary degree in 2000 instead.
After marrying, she started a family; she had son, James Jr., and daughter Betty. She worked during the
Great Depression and was employed for twenty...
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