Frances Perkins

American social reformer who served as FDR's Secretary of Labor (1933–1945) — the first woman in a US Cabinet — and was the architect of the New Deal's most significant labor legislation: Social Security, the minimum wage, the 40-hour work week, and the prohibition of child labor.

Created the modern American social safety net — as FDR's Labor Secretary, Perkins designed and implemented Social Security, minimum wage laws, the 40-hour work week, and unemployment insurance — demonstrating that a single person with political access and administrative skill can permanently transform millions of lives.