Ruth Monsell Pays Homage to Frances Perkins - The First Woman to Serve as a U.S. Cabinet Member

2024-12-29 11:15:49 Art & Entertainment

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25th Sep, Maine SC, Ruth Cashin Monsell, known for her freehand cut silhouette art and over forty years of commissioned portraiture, is now venturing into the literary world with her groundbreaking debut book, France Perkins Champion of American Workers. It is the first biography in 15 years about this major advocate for workers' rights, who is relatively unknown to Americans.

Released on April 16, 2024, this book chronicles Perkins's inspirational life in a succinct biography. Perkins was responsible for much of the New Deal legislation, a series of social welfare programs, economic reforms, and public projects designed to rescue America from the Great Depression between 1933 and 1938. Her work had a profound impact on the lives of workers. Although Perkins earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and physics at Mount Holyoke in 1902, she committed herself to engaging in social work after briefly teaching science.

From then on, she managed committees, worked, volunteered, lobbied, and became involved in advocacy in Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York. She was appointed to serve on the New York State Labor under Governor Al Smith and then was made the head of the commission under Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. When Roosevelt won the election in 1933, she agreed to become the first female cabinet member. During the twelve years she served as Secretary of Labor, she worked to gradually reduce working hours, increase pay, and bring about workplace safety reforms. She was instrumental in creating several of the New Deal agencies, especially the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Perkins also drafted the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which banned child labor and established a minimum wage and a 40-hour work week. Then, she brought about her crowning achievement: Social Security.

In talking about Perkins, Monsell says,
"It's time we honored our unsung heroes, many of them forgotten women. I'm glad to be able to tell Perkins' story through my work. I hope we all learn from her unwavering efforts and faith in workers and community."

While discussing her writing process, Ruth explained,
"This comprehensive biography is the result of a decade of extensive research, interviews, writing, rewriting, and editing. I collaborated with various publishers, first readers, and editors, as well as conducted exhaustive picture research to deliver an authentic,-quality understanding of my subject to readers."

Frances Perkins – Champion of American Workers by Ruth C. Monsell is now available on Amazon, in bookstores, and directly from the publisher, Histria Books.

About The Author
Ruth Cashin Monsell is an artist and former educator who lives in Camden, Maine, and Charleston, SC. She has a lifelong passion for music, painting, theater, and writing.

Monsell made her solo stage debut at five and has been singing ever since. She currently performs with the Charleston Symphony Chorus. She began acting at 14 and directing plays in the 1970s. In her 20s, she began an 18-year career in education, teaching English, American history, theater, and music in New York, Connecticut, and Maine.

In her most recent dramatic role in Damariscotta, ME, Monsell portrayed Perkins as Madam Secretary. Since 2001, she has successfully run an art business, Artful Heirlooms, fulfilling commissions nationwide for portraits and silhouettes. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Illinois Wesleyan University and continued her studies on a fellowship at American University. She completed her Masters in Education at Hofstra University.