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Frances Perkins – First Woman to Serve in a Presidential Cabinet
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Secretary of Labor under Franklin Delano Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945, Frances Perkins is widely recognized as a driving force behind the New Deal, most notably for the policies that created Social Security, the forty-hour work week, overtime pay, unemployment insurance, workplace safety standards, and a ban on child labor.
Perkins’s legacy is everywhere today. Just last year, a record 48 million people found economic refuge through state unemployment insurance programs, up from just 5 million the year before the pandemic. It was a vital lifeline, allowing people who had lost their jobs to feed their families and heat their homes when the world’s economy shut down reports long-time Washington Post journalist and board member Kirstin Downey. Use our resources link to learn more.
The Frances Perkins Center honors her legacy by sharing her commitment to the principle that government should provide all its people with the best possible life, and by preserving the place that shaped her character, The Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark. We convene leaders and future leaders in public policy, labor and related fields to generate creative solutions to today’s social and economic problems and teaches students of all ages about a remarkable woman whose work continues to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. |
Frances Perkins DocumentariesHighlights from the Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins A 30-minute documentary created by the Frances Perkins Center to accompany its traveling exhibit. Summoned: Frances Perkins and the General Welfare Access Summoned on a variety of media platforms. |
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In January 2020, with help from hundreds of donors, the Frances Perkins Center acquired the Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark. Grants from the State of Maine and the National Park Service Save America’s Treasures program are helping us preserve its landscape and historic structures to open the Homestead for public access in 2022. We continue to need your special Homestead Campaign gift to help us transform this national treasure into a center for learning and discourse dedicated to Frances Perkins’ stated belief that government should provide for all of its people the best possible life. To learn more about how you help, visit Homestead Campaign. |
