League of Women Voters Book Discussion: The Woman Behind the New Deal

What can we learn from history? A Celebration of Frances Perkins

Join us for a celebration of Frances Perkins, the first woman U.S. Secretary of Labor at 3 PM on January 7. To prepare for the event, read The Woman Behind the New Deal by Kirsten Downey and register below to attend by Zoom or in person.

Perkins was the Secretary  from 1933 to 1945 and served under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She is known as the principal architect of the New Deal and was the first woman to hold a position in the presidential cabinet.

Boston-born, she earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Mount Holyoke College, and  was a social worker and teacher for several years. In  1910, she earned a master's degree in sociology and economics from Columbia University.

As Secretary of Labor, Perkins  oversaw the  adoption of social security, unemployment insurance, federal laws regulating child labor, the federal minimum wage and much more.

The Frances Perkins National Monument opened in Maine in 2024 on a 57-acre saltwater farm in Newcastle. The monument, including a mid-19^th century farmhouse that belonged to Perkins’ family, is a tangible reminder of America's concern for the common good that should govern our lives.

Join us on January 7 to celebrate Perkins’s success. The event is sponsored by the League of Women Voters Portland Area Book Club in collaboration with Falmouth Public Library.

Registration is required to attend via Zoom or in person at the Falmouth Memorial Library. Register below.