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Al made the ruling of law. He said, “That sounds like good common sense to me. The name by which you're generally known is the legal name. Send it in as Frances Perkins.”

All the lawyers in the State Senate said the same things, but it went through. By the time I got to Washington in 1933 it was all settled law. It was settled law that that was my name and it was settled law that a woman's name was whatever she said it was - the name by which she was commonly known. There were plenty of other people by that time who had always used their maiden names for perfectly obvious professional reasons - it was an economic asset to them.

That was my reason for it. It wasn't extreme feminism. It's worked out all right. I've never been embarrassed by it, because I have never rigidly insisted that I be called Miss Perkins by people who don't want to call me that. All my mother's friends always introduce me to this day as Mrs. Wilson. I go down to Maine and everybody knows who Frances Perkins is, but they introduce me as Mrs. Wilson. Nothing is strange and nobody is embarrassed if you aren't embarrassed by it.

Al Smith said something once which I think is very wise, not about me, but about things in general. He said, “Nothing embarrasses me.” I've always remembered that.