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Memory  /  Biography

Frances Perkins, Modern Politics, and Historical Memory

The current political moment is reshaping the narrative about the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet.

The current potentially historic moment for American women is deeply connected to Perkins becoming a rising icon in American historical memory. Current events shape memories of the past — just as historical memory shapes the present. 

Perkins did little to cement herself in the historical record. She was more interested in her work and her family’s personal safety than in being remembered. In the subsequent decades, predominantly male scholars didn’t need to be asked twice to follow her lead. Despite standard commemorations like biographies, building dedications, oral histories, and even a postage stamp, Perkins receded from memory by the late 20th century, becoming little more than a trivia answer.

Now, the rise of female politicians is helping to reinsert her in our historical memory in a way that is long overdue. At the same time, newfound appreciation for Perkins is creating new space for women in politics. 

In 1911, Perkins was a social reformer working for the New York Consumers’ League when she witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire from across the street. This formative moment launched Perkins toward a government career, beginning with a stint as Chief Investigator of the New York State Factory Investigating Commission. There she labored to improve working conditions for poor women until, in 1919, she joined the state’s industrial commission under Governor Al Smith. Under Smith’s successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, she spearheaded a myriad of social safety net programs. 

When Roosevelt became president in 1933, he appointed Perkins labor secretary — the culmination of decades of work by progressive women’s reform movements. During her 12-year tenure at the Department of Labor, Perkins became the longest-serving labor secretary, and a force behind some of the most significant New Deal legislation, including the National Labor Relations Act, the Social Security Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. She also became a tireless advocate for German-Jewish refugees.

In 1945, she acquiesced to writing a memoir because her family needed the $20,000 advance, which was higher than her government salary. Yet, because of her aversion to self-aggrandizement, Perkins largely erased herself from the story. She credited Roosevelt for her accomplishments, including her suggestion that he extend the visitor visas of German-Jewish refugees already in the U.S. after Kristallnacht. 

After her tenure at the Labor Department ended in 1945, Perkins kept a low profile, doing little to burnish her reputation, though she did sit for oral history interviews with the Columbia Center for Oral History Research.