Frances Perkins

Date of Birth: April 10, 1880

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Date of Death: May 14, 1965

Biography

Frances Perkins, born Fannie Coralie Perkins, was a pioneering American sociologist and workers-rights advocate who served as the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945. She was the first woman ever appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. Perkins played a significant role in the New Deal legislation under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, where she was instrumental in establishing Social Security, unemployment insurance, and numerous labor reforms. Her work laid the foundation for modern labor laws and protections, including the Fair Labor Standards Act, which established minimum wage and overtime pay. Perkins was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Worcester. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1902 and went on to study at Columbia University. Her career began in earnest in New York City, where she worked in various social work positions and became involved in labor reform after witnessing the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911. This tragic event galvanized her commitment to improving working conditions. Her tenure as Secretary of Labor was marked by her strong advocacy for workers’ rights and her efforts to create a safety net for the American workforce. After leaving public office, Perkins continued to teach and write, contributing to the fields of labor and social policy until her death.

5 Interesting Facts about Frances Perkins

1. Frances Perkins was the first woman to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet.

2. She was a key architect of the Social Security Act of 1935.

3. Perkins witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which profoundly influenced her career in labor rights.

4. She was a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Columbia University.

5. Perkins also served as a professor at Cornell University after her tenure as Secretary of Labor.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Frances Perkins

1. “The people are what matter to government, and a government should aim to give all the people under its jurisdiction the best possible life.”

2. “Most of man’s problems upon this planet, in the long run, will be taken care of by physical scientists. The rest are in the field of morals.”

3. “The door might not be opened to a woman again for a long, long time, and I had a kind of duty to other women to walk in and sit down on the chair that was offered, and so establish the right of others long hence and far distant in geography to sit in the high seats.”

4. “I came to Washington to work for God, FDR, and the millions of forgotten, plain common workingmen.”

5. “A man must do a good deal of disagreeable work to make himself a good lawyer, but he need not sell his soul to do so.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Frances Perkins’s net worth was never publicly documented, but her highest achievements were in public service rather than personal wealth accumulation.

Children

Frances Perkins and her husband, Paul Caldwell Wilson, had one daughter, Susanna Wilson. Susanna faced mental health challenges throughout her life, which was a significant concern for Frances.