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When Perkins was appointed Secretary of Labor, she asked her loyal secretary, Frances Jurkowitz, known as Miss Jay, to come to Washington with her. A dedicated and very hard worker, Jay was sometimes over-protective of Perkins, resulting in feelings…

Portrait of Frances Perkins

Frances Perkins after speech

Sent to Perkins in an envelope postmarked 28 February 1933, this photograph would have been taken just as her appointment as Secretary for Labor was announced

Photograph of Fanny at five years old, and her sister Ethel at four months old

Frances Perkins at Lockheed

Frances Perkins, PW, SW tea

Christopher N. Brieseth wrote this essay in 1966, the year following the death of Frances Perkins. He was one of the members of Cornell’s Telluride House who invited Perkins to live with them for what would be the last five years of her life.

Frances Perkins on raft

Frances Perkins wrote on the verso of the photograph above left: “The first view of Henry Kaiser’s latest Mud & hope.” His Richmond shipyard became famous for producing cargo ships, known as Liberty ships, on the average of one every 45 days, and by…

Frances Perkins w/ polka dots suit

In 1945, Perkins listed as one of her accomplishments her role in helping the U.S. to enter “into full membership and participation in” the ILO, “now so important for future international cooperation in this field.” She attended the ILO conferences…