Frances Perkins, first female cabinet secretary in US history, was the mind (and the will) behind nearly every landmark policy of the Roosevelt administration’s New Deal – so why doesn’t anyone know her name? Award-winning author Stephanie Dray introduces us to the remarkable woman whose vision and relentless hard work would touch the life of every American for nearly a century.
Frances Perkins in New York City, around the time of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Babies being bathed at Hull House, the Settlement House where Frances first began her work as a Social Worker Library of Congress
Children eating lunch at a Settlement House Library of Congress
The Triangle Shirtwaist building after the infamous fire Library of Congress
Family members waiting to identify the bodies of their loved ones after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire Library of Congress
Frances at the Consumer League’s Triangle Fire Commission in 1911
Atop the Golden Gate Bridge during 1935 bridge construction National Park Service
Frances with Paul and Susanna at the Homestead ca 1923
The family Fourth of July parade in 1925, L to R: Paul Wilson, Frances’ mother Susan Bean Perkins, Frances, daughter Susanna
Frances with the family dog Balto in 1930
Frances and her daughter Susanna
Frances Perkins
FDR with the members of his cabinet
Frances Perkins about to speak at the Conference on Labor and Industry, 1936
Frances and Roosevelt laughing together at an event
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt with the wives of FDR’s other cabinet members… and Frances Perkins
Frances investigating mining conditions in Virginia
Roosevelt signs the historic Social Security bill with Frances Perkins at his side
Frances Perkins and Eleanor Roosevelt in 1961
Frances’ husband Paul Wilson. (Frances kept her own name at marriage – a decision she had to justify in court)
Mary Harriman Rumsey – activist, reformer, founder of the Junior League and Frances’ closest friend (“friend”?) for over 20 years Library of Congress
Icon of Saint Frances Perkins created by iconographer Suzanne Schleck
Stephanie Dray is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into many languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year. Now she lives in Maryland with her husband, cats, and history books. Her newest novel, Becoming Madam Secretary, was published March 12, 2024.
Frances Perkins, first female cabinet secretary in US history, was the mind (and the will) behind nearly every landmark policy of the Roosevelt administration’s New Deal – so why doesn’t anyone know her name? Award-winning author Stephanie Dray introduces us to the remarkable woman whose vision and relentless hard work would touch the life of every American for nearly a century.
Stephanie Dray is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into many languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year. Now she lives in Maryland with her husband, cats, and history books. Her newest novel, Becoming Madam Secretary, was published March 12, 2024.
