This Day in Labor History

May 14th: Frances Perkins died in 1965

On this day in labor history, longtime labor advocate Frances Perkins died in 1965. Perkins was born in 1880 in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Mount Holyoke College, where she was class president, and received a degree in chemistry and physics. Her time at school exposed her to progressive politics and the dangers of factory work. Perkins moved to Chicago, becoming involved at Hull House, a settlement house that sought to alleviate poverty. She went on to earn a master’s degree from Columbia University, becoming an active suffragette. While in New York, she witnessed the calamitous Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, spurring her to take the position as executive secretary for the Committee on Safety in the City of New York. Holding many positions in state government, Perkins was appointed by Governor Franklin Roosevelt in 1929 as the first Industrial Commissioner for the state, increasing factory inspections and improving safety. FDR appointed her as Secretary of Labor in 1933, becoming the first woman to hold a cabinet post. Perkins was integral in developing social security, the federal minimum wage, and other New Deal legislation. After FDR’s death, she worked with the United States Civil Service Commission and taught at several institutions. She was 85.

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