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Notable New     Yorkers
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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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project that we had in mind in his presence, “I don't think that ought to be done. I'm afraid that it might embarrass the Governor.”

Smith looked up and said, “What was that?”

This person said, “We thought it might embarrass you to have this done.”

He shifted his cigar to the other side and said in his deep voice, “Nonsense, nothing embarrasses me.”

I've thought of that over and over again. Nothing did embarrass him. He couldn't be embarrassed because he had never violated the integrity of his own personality. He was himself inside all the time and therefore had this remarkable external quality of poise and assurance, which gave everybody confidence in him. You had no doubts about his capacity to do what he said he would do. He was never pretending. He was never pretentious. He had no fancy stuff at all. What he was going to do, he could do. If he asked you to follow along with him or help him, you knew that he would get through it very well. He was quite a remarkable person and had very man interesting, effective and endearing aspects of his personality.

One of the things that I remember most clearly is the number of occasions when we had to work late at night





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