General secretary of Philadelphia Research and Protective Association; studied at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Moved to New York with fellowship to Columbia University. Research and field work on child malnutrition in Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood became basis for master’s thesis; spoke on soap boxes and at rallies for women’s suffrage.
Hired by Committee on Safety of the City of New York, citizens’ group created in response to fire; expert witness and primary investigator for state Factory Investigating Commission which led to the enactment of some of the first workplace health and safety laws in nation.
Appointed U.S. Secretary of Labor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, first woman U.S. cabinet member.
Major accomplishments of her 12-year tenure as Secretary of Labor included:
S oc ial Security Act:
Directed the development and passage of landmark law establishing old age pensions, unemployment insurance, survivor benefits.
CCC, NRA, PWA, WPA:
Instrumental in creating major New Deal jobs programs. U.S. Employment Service. Created by Wagner-Peyser Act.
Fair Labor Standards Act:
Maximum hours and minimum wages in all interstate industries; restrictions on child labor.
Bureau of Labor Standards:
Industrial accident and occupational disease prevention; working condition improvements through research and union/employers conferences.
National Labor Relations Act:
Right of workers to organize, collective bargaining.
International Labor Organization (ILO):
Coordinated effort for U.S. membership.
Immigration:
Saved thousands of refugees by limiting deportations to Nazi Germany.
Appointed to U.S. Civil Service Commission by President Harry S. Truman.
Wrote best-selling biography of FDR titled “The Roosevelt I Knew.”
1955-1965 Visiting professor at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
1965 Died in New York City, buried in Newcastle, Maine.
