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Frances Perkins is no longer a household name, yet she was one of the most influential women of the twentieth century. Based on eight years of research, extensive archival materials, new documents, and exclusive access to Perkins's family members and friends, this biography is the first complete portrait
… More »Frances Perkins is no longer a household name, yet she was one of the most influential women of the twentieth century. Based on eight years of research, extensive archival materials, new documents, and exclusive access to Perkins's family members and friends, this biography is the first complete portrait of a devoted public servant with a passionate personal life, a mother who changed the landscape of American business and society. Frances Perkins was named Secretary of Labor by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933. As the first female cabinet secretary, she spearheaded the fight to improve the lives of America's working people while juggling her own complex family responsibilities. Perkins's ideas became the cornerstones of the most important social welfare and legislation in the nation's history, including unemployment compensation, child labor laws, and the forty-hour work week. Arriving in Washington at the height of the Great Depression, Perkins pushed for massive public works projects that created millions of jobs for unemployed workers. She breathed life back into the nation's labor movement, boosting living standards across the country. As head of the Immigration Service, she fought to bring European refugees to safety in the United States. Her greatest triumph was creating Social Security. Written with a wit that echoes Frances Perkins's own, award-winning journalist Kirstin Downey gives us a riveting exploration of how and why Perkins slipped into historical oblivion, and restores Perkins to her proper place in history.
« LessBecoming Frances Perkins
The young activist hits New York
The triangle shirtwaist fire
Finding allies in Tammany Hall
Teddy Roosevelt and Frances Perkins
A good match
Married life
Motherhood
The indomitable Al Smith
FDR and Al Smith
With the Roosevelts in Albany
FDR becomes president
Frances becomes Secretary of Labor
The pioneer
Skeletons in the Labor Department closet
Jump-starting the economy
At home with Mary Harriman
Blue Eagle: a first try at "civilizing capitalism"
Refugees and regulations
Rebuilding the house of labor
Labor shakes off its slumber
The union movement revitalizes and splits apart
Social Security
Family problems
Court-packing, wages, and hours
Impeachment
War clouds and refugees
Frances and Franklin
Madness, misalliances, and a nude bisexual water sprite
The war comes
Last days of the Roosevelt administration
Harry Truman
The Truman administration
Communism
End of the Truman era
Many transitions
Last days
Childhood and youth -- Becoming Frances Perkins -- The young activist hits New York -- The triangle shirtwaist fire -- Finding allies in Tammany Hall -- Teddy Roosevelt and Frances Perkins -- A good match -- Married life -- Motherhood -- The indomitable Al Smith -- FDR and Al Smith -- With the Roosevelts in Albany -- FDR becomes president -- Frances becomes Secretary of Labor -- The pioneer -- Skeletons in the Labor Department closet -- Jump-starting the economy -- At home with Mary Harriman -- Blue Eagle: a first try at "civilizing capitalism" -- Refugees and regulations -- Rebuilding the house of labor -- Labor shakes off its slumber -- The union movement revitalizes and splits apart -- Social Security -- Family problems -- Court-packing, wages, and hours -- Impeachment -- War clouds and refugees -- Frances and Franklin -- Madness, misalliances, and a nude bisexual water sprite -- The war comes -- Last days of the Roosevelt administration -- Harry Truman -- The Truman administration -- Communism -- End of the Truman era -- Many transitions -- Last days
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Add a CommentThis was a fascinating biography...dragged a bit in some places. Overall, a worthwhile read. This woman did more to impact our society and the safety net we take for granted today than anyone realizes. Full of valuable insights on the practicalities of pushing social policy forward in a political climate. After reading this book, i believe FDR would have been a far less effective President without Frances Perkins as his Secretary of Labor. She was a strong, heroic woman with heartbreaking vulnerabilities. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in feminist history, U.S. labor policies, the Great Depression, or Franklin Roosevelt.
I had heard of Frances Perkins and knew she was the first woman Cabinet member but this book about her twenty years of government service amazed me. So much lost history that now is being shared with us! Even books on feminism often don't mention her. This book makes it obvious that she was a model of feminism and labor advocacy. I urge everyone to buy this book and add it to your library.
Highly recommended. A fascinating biography about an extraordinary woman--Frances Perkins, the first woman U.S. cabinet member and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The book details her movement from being a devoted social worker and suffragette to her work in Roosevelt's New Deal Administration, championing social security, the 40-hour work week, unemployment insurance, child labor laws and other major social advances. Written by a former investigative reporter for the Washington Post who is a great admirer of Perkins, the book is refreshingly well written and constantly absorbing.
Very insightful book about a truly American heroine. It gives a great view into the inner circles of FDR's administration and the depth of the brain trust FDR had supporting him.