Frances Perkins

Frances Perkins (1880–1965) was the first female member of a presidential cabinet, serving as secretary of labor for Franklin D. Roosevelt. She devoted her career to social reform and improving working conditions for Americans, serving on many commissions in New York and New York state before heading the Labor Department. As the integral force behind the Social Security Act of 1935 and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, Perkins helped set standards for minimum wages, working hours, worker safety, social security and unemployment benefits, and other labor issues.

The Frances Perkins stamp was issued in 1980.