Kirstin Downey's biography rescues Frances Perkins from undeserved obscurity, revealing the woman who served as FDR's secretary of labor for twelve years and personally shaped most of the programs we now consider the foundation of American social policy. Perkins, the first woman in any presidential cabinet, brought to her position decades of experience in labor reform, including direct witness of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that killed 146 workers and galvanized the movement for workplace safety. Downey traces how Perkins leveraged her position and her close relationship with Roosevelt to enact Social Security, unemployment insurance, the minimum wage, the forty-hour workweek, and the prohibition of child labor—programs that seemed radical then and feel permanent now. The biography explores how Perkins navigated the sexism of her era, downplaying her femininity to be taken seriously while drawing on networks of women reformers for support. It also examines her complicated personal life, including a mentally ill husband she supported for decades and a difficult relationship with her daughter. Downey's research into Perkins's papers and extensive interviews with those who knew her produce a portrait of a woman who combined idealism with pragmatic political skill, who understood that lasting change required institutional transformation rather than rhetorical triumph. Readers interested in the New Deal, labor history, or women's political leadership will find this essential reading.