![]() ![]() FDR saw something special in Perkins, and his confidence and support helped her endure years of sexism from fellow Cabinet members and unwarranted criticism from the press. Making excellent use of personal papers and of archival materials that include a 5,000-page oral history, Downey allows Perkins to narrate much of the text, giving new life to this often overlooked historical figure. ![]() The 40-hour workweek, unemployment insurance and Social Security are but a few of her legacies her storied relationship with FDR is another. After being named his Secretary of Labor, she went on to accomplish reform of unprecedented scope. ![]() Displaying the fortitude and prescience that carried her through three decades of public service, she outlined these during her first meeting with FDR. Pultizer Prize–winning journalist Downey deconstructs the life of a passionate labor advocate who became the nation’s first female Cabinet member.įrances Perkins (1880–1965) had clearly delineated goals: reasonable working hours and wages, fire safety, improved working conditions and the end of child labor. ![]()
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