Frances Perkins

Frances Perkins
4th United States Secretary of Labor
In office
March 4, 1933 – June 30, 1945
PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
Preceded byWilliam N. Doak
Succeeded byLewis B. Schwellenbach
Member of the United States Civil Service Commission
In office
1945–1953
PresidentHarry S. Truman
Succeeded byFrederick Lawton
Personal details
Born
Fannie Coralie Perkins

(1880-04-10)April 10, 1880
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedMay 14, 1965(1965-05-14) (aged 85)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpousePaul Wilson
Children1
EducationMount Holyoke College (BS)
Columbia University (MA)
University of Pennsylvania
Work institutions

Frances Perkins (born Fannie Coralie Perkins; April 10, 1880[1][2] – May 14, 1965) was an American workers-rights advocate who served as the fourth United States Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest serving in that position. A member of the Democratic Party, Perkins was the first woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet. As a loyal supporter of her longtime friend, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she helped make labor issues important in the emerging New Deal coalition. She was one of two Roosevelt cabinet members to remain in office for his entire presidency (the other being Interior Secretary Harold L. Ickes).

Perkins' most important role came in developing a policy for social security in 1935. She also helped form government policy for working with labor unions, although some union leaders distrusted her. Perkins' Labor Department helped to mediate strikes by way of the United States Conciliation Service. She dealt with numerous labor issues during World War II, when skilled labor was vital to the economy and women were moving into jobs formerly held by men.[3]

  1. ^ "Fannie Perkins". 1880 United States Census. FamilySearch.org. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2011. Birthplace: Ma; Age: 2 months; Head of Household: Fred Perkins; Relation: Daughter; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts
  2. ^ "Volume 315, Page 132". Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910. New England Historic Genealogical Society. Retrieved June 5, 2011. Fannie Coralie Perkins; 1880; Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts; Birth (subscription required)
  3. ^ Downey, Kirstin. The Woman Behind the New Deal, 2009, p. 250.