Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654 of 654

two or three, a few little ones and then a big one - got a good deal of response from all over the country. Some of it was from people who knew me and some from people who didn't. Most of the response was favorable. There was some amount of unfavorable comment. The labor people didn't want a non-labor person appointed. There were some, I suppose, who didn't want a woman appointed. Miss Dewson always used to say, “Just can that. That doesn't count. That will always be the case. Franklin has said to me that he thinks it would be a good idea to have a woman in the Cabinet. So there we are. He's not afraid of those who don't want a woman.”

So the trial baloons got predominantly favorable responses - so much so that Jim Farley was greatly impressed with the fact that there was a certain following. Of course, he recognized the hazard of it because he thought in terms of voting groups and he thought in terms of the American Federation of Labor people, although I remember Mary pointing out to him that there never had been an actual member of the AF of L who had been Secretary of Labor. That was just something to howl about, but they had never been accustomed to that. The secretaries had never been labor people. Some of them had worked at a trade at the beginning of their lives, like Walter Chrysler had, but they had changed.