Establishment of the Frances Perkins National Monument

Proclamation 10873 of December 16, 2024 Establishment of the Frances Perkins National Monument A Proclamation Few Americans have had deeper influence in shaping labor and social policy in the United States than Frances Perkins. Perkins became the first woman to serve as a Cabinet Secretary when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed her as the Secretary of Labor in 1933. During the subsequent 12 years, Secretary Perkins played a pivotal role in constructing the New Deal and helping to guide the country out of the Great Depression by designing and leading the implementation of sweeping labor and economic reforms that have made life better for generations of Americans. The longest serving Secretary of Labor in United States history, Secretary Perkins was the architect of many programs and standards—including a minimum wage, overtime pay, unemployment insurance, and prohibitions on child labor—that have endured as the backbone of Federal support for workers and families and continue to benefit millions of Americans today. Secretary Perkins chaired President Roosevelt's effort to investigate the benefits of social insurance and then worked to achieve passage of the Social Security Act, which became one of the most successful programs in the United States to prevent poverty among older adults. When the United States and other nations initially failed to face the horrors of the Holocaust, Secretary Perkins demonstrated leadership on behalf of immigrants and refugees by actively working to bring Jewish children and adults from Europe to the United States to ensure their safety. The Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine, played a pivotal role in Frances Perkins' life and supported her work to deliver lasting protection and benefits to American workers and families. The rural setting of the Perkins Homestead on the Damariscotta River was the place she felt most at home. She spent her childhood summers there and returned frequently for respite throughout he…