On a spring afternoon in 1911, Frances Perkins was sipping tea at a friend’s home in Manhattan when she heard fire whistles. Through a window that overlooked Washington Square, Perkins saw flames escaping from a 10-story building that housed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. She rushed to the scene only to watch helplessly as 146 workers, mostly young immigrant women, jumped or fell to their deaths to escape the smoke and flames.
The employees worked long, hard hours in an overcrowded building that lacked adequate exits or other basic safety features. Perkins knew that in the months leading up to the fire they had pleaded for better conditions but were ignored. She vowed that day to dedicate herself to ensuring the safety and security of working men and women.
In the ensuing years, Perkins made good on that pledge, leading reform efforts that today continue to affect the life of every American.
Despite her many accomplishments, Frances Perkins is hardly a household name. But prize-winning journalist Kirstin Downey began to stumble upon it often while looking into labor issues. After nine years of research and exclusive interviews with family and friends, Downey has given us the first complete portrait of Frances Perkins, “The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins — Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, and the Minimum Wage.”
Perkins eventually championed her way into the innermost circle of the nation’s decision-makers. Franklin Delano Roosevelt named her secretary of labor in 1933, making her the first female Cabinet secretary. She became one of the president’s closest friends and most trusted advisers, and she used her power to spearhead the fight to improve the lives of America’s working people.
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 capitalized on the president’s political savvy and popularity to enact most of the Depression-era programs that are today considered essential parts of the country’s social safety network. She breathed life back into the nation’s labor movement, boosting living standards across the country.
Her ideas became the cornerstones of the most important social welfare legislation in the nation’s history, including unemployment compensation, child labor laws and the 40-hour work week. Her greatest triumph was creating Social Security.
Perkins accomplished all of this while raising a daughter and caring for a mentally ill husband. She endured discrimination from her male counterparts and changed her name, her religion and her appearance to advance her causes.
Her story is set in a time in history much like our own — prosperity had given way to massive unemployment and there was vast uncertainty about the future. It offers us historical context at a time when we’re grappling with modern-day entitlement programs and a massive national deficit. We, too, face difficult choices.
Perkins’ story also is one of passion and sacrifice. She saw social injustice and she deftly and tirelessly worked for change. Downey’s book gives us great insight into an extraordinary life, and pays overdue tribute to one of most important social reformers in U.S. history.
Bob Kustra is president of Boise State University and host of Reader’s Corner, a weekly radio show on Boise State Public Radio. Reader’s Corner airs Fridays at 5:30 p.m. and repeats Sundays at 11 a.m. on KBSX 91.5 FM. Previous shows, including an interview with Downey, are online and available for podcast at http://radio.boisestate.edu/readerscorner.
