The Plumber in the Cabinet
Ike liked pipes

At age 17 in 1911, Martin P. Durkin of Illinois was a first-year steamfitter's apprentice.

In 1953, recently-elected President Dwight D. Eisenhower named Durkin to his Cabinet as Secretary of Labor.

At the time, Durkin was president of the plumbers and pipefitters Union, and had also been Director of Labor for the State of Illinois.

Durkin's appointment stood out, and not just because he was a plumber. He was also a Democrat in Ike's Republican administration.

Ike's early term cabinet picks were known as
"Nine Millionaires and a Plumber."

Durkin's term was brief, but today's Department of Labor website credits his administrative skills in streamlining the Department to be more efficient in providing services to America's workers.

Back to TOP .