Frances Perkins, the first female U.S. Cabinet member, served as Secretary of Labor under Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945. She is widely recognized as the driving force behind the New Deal, advocating for the policies that created Social Security, the forty-hour work week, overtime pay, unemployment insurance, workplace safety standards, and a ban on child labor. We will explore her life, starting with her roots in Maine. We’ll end with a conversation with her grandson, Tomlin Perkins Coggeshall, founder of the Frances Perkins Center. This national historic landmark strives to preserve her legacy by sharing her commitment to the principle that “government should provide all its people with the best possible life.”
