Who Was Frances Perkins? 1st Woman In US Cabinet Honoured With Monument

United States President Joe Biden inaugurated a national monument honouring the late Frances Perkins, the country's first woman in the Presidential cabinet. Serving as the Labor Secretary during the Franklin D Roosevelt era, she made significant changes in the gender dynamics in American politics. She paved the way for reforms that rehabilitated the country after the Great Depression and played a critical role in shaping modern society. 

Who Was Frances Perkins?

The United States Department of Labor building in Washington is named after Frances Perkins, a pivotal leader behind President Roosevelt's 1930s New Deal agenda. She helped create policies and safeguards in the national economy following the Great Depression that began in 1929.

Perkins served from 1933 to 1945 and is credited with helping establish the Social Security Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the National Labor Relations Act. These initiatives emboldened American workers' rights to unionise, organise and bargain collectively.

While Perkins made history as the first woman in the US Cabinet, this was not the only impact she had on America. She was also the longest-serving labour secretary in the country, underscoring her indispensable contributions to labour rights and economic recovery.

Biden Remembers Perkins' Contributions

On December 16, 2024, Biden signed the proclamation establishing the Frances Perkins monument in Newcastle, Maine, where she was buried after her death in 1965, according to the local news outlet, Rocky Mountain Outlook. The outgoing President said that Perkins “cemented the idea that if you're working a full-time job, you shouldn't have to live in poverty." 

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said, "Frances Perkins accepted the position as the first female Cabinet member only after President Franklin D. Roosevelt agreed to support her goals to improve working conditions for all people. She worked tirelessly to see them to fruition, and she set a standard of excellence that is a beacon for all of us who serve.”

Haaland announced five new national historic landmarks to commemorate women in American history: the Charleston Cigar Factory in Charleston, South Carolina; the Furies Collective, and Lucy Diggs Slowe and Mary Burrill House, both in Washington; Azurest South in Petersburg, Virginia; and the Peter Hurd and Henriette Wyeth House and Studios in San Patricio, New Mexico.