President Franklin D. Roosevelt notified the U.S. Senate on March 4, 1933, that he had nominated Frances Perkins of New York to be Secretary of Labor. She was confirmed in this position and became the first woman appointed to a Cabinet position. She was the longest serving Labor secretary, serving for 12 years between 1933 and 1945. She was also the first woman to enter the Presidential Line of Succession.
Message of President Franklin Roosevelt nominating Frances Perkins of New York to be Secretary of Labor
- 3/4/1933
Description
Transcript
The White House
March 4, 1933.
To the
Senate of the United States.
I nominate Frances Perkins, of New York, to be Secretary of Labor.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
This is the first instance of a woman being appointed to a Cabinet position.
Edwin A. Halsey,
Secretary of the Senate.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Senate.
National Archives Identifier: 595434
Full Citation: Message of President Franklin Roosevelt nominating Frances Perkins of New York to be Secretary of Labor; 3/4/1933; Anson McCook Collection of Presidential Signatures, 1789–1975; Records of the U.S. Senate, Record Group 46; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/fdr-nomination-frances-perkins-labor/, March 16, 2026]
Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
