Frances Perkins was a trailblazing woman and pioneering advocate for social justice, economic security, and labor rights. Perkins was the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet as Secretary of Labor under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, becoming one of President Roosevelt’s closest and most highly regarded advisors. She fought for working people and served as a driving force behind the New Deal, helping to lift Americans out of the Great Depression. Above: The brick house at the Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine.