Frances Perkins, American sociologist, academic, and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Labor (d. 1965)
Frances Perkins (born Fannie Coralie Perkins; April 10, 1880 – May 14, 1965) was an American workers-rights advocate who served as the United States secretary of labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest serving in that position. A member of the Democratic Party, Perkins made history as the first woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet. As a loyal supporter of her longtime friend, Franklin D. Roosevelt, she helped make labor issues important in the emerging New Deal coalition. She was one of two Roosevelt cabinet members to remain in office for his entire presidency (the other being Interior Secretary Harold L. Ickes).
Her most important role came in developing a policy for social security in 1935. She also helped form government policy for working with labor unions, although the union leaders distrusted her. Her Labor Department helped to mediate strikes by way of the United States Conciliation Service. Perkins dealt with many labor questions during World War II, when skilled labor was vital to the economy and women were moving into jobs formerly held by men. She became the subject of the documentary film Summoned (2020).