Flesh and Blood So Cheap

Perkins (1880-1965) was an American labor advocate who had a significant impact on the workers’ rights movement in the United States. When Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed her as the United States secretary of labor in 1933, she became the first woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Perkins attended Mount Holyoke College and earned a degree in chemistry and physics. After graduating, Perkins became a teacher in Chicago. She studied economics at the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton School, then worked for two years as a social worker. Later she moved to New York City, where she attended Columbia University and became a suffragist.

Witnessing the Triangle fire was a significant event in Perkins’s life; afterward, she left her job and became the executive secretary for New York City’s Committee on Safety, whose investigation led to significant progressive legislation that improved the well-being and quality of life for workers. The connections Perkins made with the Roosevelts helped launch her political career, which she dedicated to improving resources and opportunities for working-class people. Though she came from the upper class, Perkins felt passionately about the plight of working people, particularly women and children. She pioneered and supported important legislation that improved labor conditions, established Social Security for the elderly, and limited the number of hours workers could be required to work in a week. Her contributions make her a key figure in the fight for women’s and workers’ rights in the United States.

Smith (1873-1944) was born into a financially struggling family on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, a neighborhood he would live in for the rest of his life. Though Smith had Irish, German, and Italian heritage, he identified most with the Irish American community. After his father died, Smith had to drop out of the eighth grade to get a job and contribute to his family. He worked at a fish market for seven years and credited the streets with his education.

Despite being a Tammany Hall boss, Smith avoided personal and financial corruption and truly cared for his constituents. Having grown up in the tenements himself, Smith had sympathy for the poor and tried to alleviate their suffering. Immigrant Jews referred to him as a mensch, a “real man” or “good guy” (135). Many Triangle fire victims lived in Smith’s district, so he felt personally affected by the tragedy. Smith visited the temporary morgue, where he helped families identify their loved ones from the rows of charred remains. He never forgot the sight, which powerfully affected him.

Smith became one of the Friends in High Places that labor reformers needed to make progress—a powerful ally the blue-ribbon commission needed to gain legitimacy. He worked hard to convince those in power at Tammany Hall to support the commission. Once the commission was officially formed, Smith was one of its leaders and greatest champions. His work led to many laws and reforms that greatly improved the lives of the working class. He served four terms as governor of New York.