Frances Perkins
Dr. Christopher N. Breiseth presented this Fireside Chat on Monday March 6th, 2023.
Frances Perkins (1880-1965) was FDR's Secretary of Labor throughout his presidency (1933-1945) and is referred to as "the woman behind the New Deal." As Secretary of Labor, and the first female presidential cabinet member in history, Frances Perkins was responsible for most of the domestic New Deal initiatives: Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, 40 hour work week, minimum wage and abolition of child labor. She was a major advocate and supporter of federal public works projects, the Civilian Conservation Corps and collective bargaining for unions. Earlier, she had served both New York Governors Alfred E. Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt on New York State's Industrial Commission before joining President Roosevelt in Washington as Secretary of Labor. Her failure to be celebrated by later generations as a true pioneer is a major gap in Americans' historical understanding. Chris Breiseth had the opportunity to know Miss Perkins at Cornell during the last five years of her life. His essay, "The Frances Perkins I Knew," written in 1966, the year after her death.
Click here to read the essay. “The Frances Perkins I Knew.”
The Social Security Act was signed into law on August 14, 1935
The Background photo is of Frances Perkins with Golden Gate Bridge Inspectors during construction in 1935
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