Editing Alexis Herman

{{Short description|23rd United States Secretary of Labor (1947–2025)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Alexis Herman
| image = Alexis osec.jpg
| alt  = Official portrait of Herman in 1998
| caption = Official portrait, 1998
| order  = 23rd [[United States Secretary of Labor]]
| president = [[Bill Clinton]]
| deputy  = [[Kathryn O. Higgins]]
| term_start  = May 1, 1997
| term_end  = January 20, 2001
| predecessor = [[Robert Reich]]
| successor = [[Elaine Chao]]
| office1 = 12th Director of the [[Office of Public Liaison]]
| president1 = Bill Clinton
| term_start1 = January 20, 1993
| term_end1  = February 7, 1997
| predecessor1 = [[Cecile B. Kremer]]
| successor1  = [[Maria Echaveste]]
| office2  = 8th Director of the [[United States Women's Bureau|Women's Bureau]]
| president2  = [[Jimmy Carter]]
| term_start2 = April 4, 1977
| term_end2 = January 20, 1981
| predecessor2 = Carmen Maymi
| successor2 = Lenora Alexander
| birth_name = Alexis Margaret Herman
| birth_date = {{birth date|1947|7|16}}
| birth_place = [[Mobile, Alabama]], U.S.
| death_date  = {{death date and age|2025|4|25|1947|7|16}}
| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Charles Franklin|2000|2014|end=died}}
| relatives = [[Alex Herman]] (father)
| education = {{Plainlist|
* [[Edgewood College]]
* [[Spring Hill College]]
* [[Xavier University of Louisiana]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
}}
}}

'''Alexis Margaret Herman''' (July 16, 1947 – April 25, 2025) was an American political figure who served as the 23rd [[United States secretary of labor]] from 1997 to 2001 under President [[Bill Clinton]]. She was the first [[Black Americans| Black American]] to hold the position. She was previously Assistant to the President and Director of the [[White House]] [[White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs|Office of Public Engagement]].

Herman grew up in [[Mobile, Alabama]]. After college, she worked to improve employment opportunities for black laborers and women. She then joined the [[Presidency of Jimmy Carter|administration of Jimmy Carter]], working as director of the [[United States Women's Bureau|Labor Department's Women's Bureau]]. She became active in the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic party]], working in the campaigns of [[Jesse Jackson]] and then serving as chief of staff for the [[Democratic National Committee]] under [[Ron Brown|Ronald H. Brown]]. She joined the [[Cabinet of the United States|cabinet]] of President Bill Clinton in 1997.

Following the defeat of [[Al Gore]] in the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]], Herman remained active in Democratic politics, in addition to her participation in the [[private sector]], serving on the boards of corporations such as [[Coca-Cola]] and [[Toyota]].

==Early life and education==
Herman was born on July 16, 1947, in [[Mobile, Alabama]], the daughter of politician [[Alex Herman]] and schoolteacher Gloria Caponis,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://lasentinel.net/alexis-m-herman.html|title=Alexis M. Herman - Los Angeles Sentinel|last=Simmonds |first=Yussuf|date=May 29, 2008|work=Los Angeles Sentinel|access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref> and raised in a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] household.<ref name="Wines, Michael, Friends Helped Labor" /> Her father became Alabama's first black [[Ward (United States)|ward leader]].<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" /> She later recounted how members of the [[White supremacy|white supremacist]] group, the [[Ku Klux Klan]], assaulted her father when she was five years old.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=8917460|title=Cabinet Secretary Alexis Herman |date=March 15, 2007|work=NPR.org|access-date=December 30, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/2017/09/21/alexis-herman-recalls-her-fathers-beating-kkk/2677125/|title=Alexis Herman recalls her father's beating by the KKK|date=September 21, 2017|website=USA Today|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref> 

When Herman was growing up in Mobile, schools remained [[Racial segregation in the United States|racially segregated]].<ref name="Wines, Michael, Friends Helped Labor">{{Cite web|url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/0312herman-confirm.html|title=Alexis Herman: Friends Helped Labor Nominee Move Up, Then Almost Brought Her Down|last=Wines|first=Michael|date=May 12, 1997|website=partners.nytimes.com|access-date=January 15, 2018}}</ref> Her parents opted to send Alexis to [[parochial school]], including [[Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church|Heart of Mary High School]], in part because the teachers included white nuns and priests, and thus would expose her to greater diversity.<ref name="Wines, Michael, Friends Helped Labor" /> <!--<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" />-->

As a sophomore, she was suspended from school for questioning the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile|Archdiocese of Mobile]]'s exclusion of black students from religious pageants in which white students participated. Following a week of objection from the parents of Herman's fellow black classmates, she was re-admitted.<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" />

After graduating from high school, Herman attended [[Edgewood College]] in [[Madison, Wisconsin]], and [[Spring Hill College]] in Mobile.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://issuu.com/edgewoodcollege/docs/magazine_-_fall_2016/9|title=Edgewood College Magazine|last=Henry|first=Diana|date=Fall 2016|work=issuu|access-date=December 30, 2017|page=7|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TUIHbempHkUC&q=%22alexis+herman%22+spring+hill+college&pg=PT202|title=African American Almanac: 400 Years of Triumph, Courage and Excellence|last=Bracks|first=Lean'tin|date=February 1, 2012|publisher=Visible Ink Press|isbn=9781578593804|language=en}}</ref> She transferred to [[Xavier University of Louisiana]] in [[New Orleans]], where she became an active member of the Gamma Alpha Chapter of the [[Delta Sigma Theta]] sorority<ref name="notables">{{cite web|url=http://www.deltasigmatheta.org/notable_deltas.htm |title=Notable Deltas |publisher=Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100120072056/http://www.deltasigmatheta.org/notable_deltas.htm |archive-date=January 20, 2010 }} Retrieved December 12, 2007.</ref> and graduated with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in [[Sociology]] in 1969.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/history/herman|title=Hall of Secretaries: Alexis M. Herman|date=December 9, 2015|work=United States Department of Labor|access-date=December 30, 2017|language=en}}</ref>

==Career==
After college, Herman returned to Mobile to help [[Desegregation|desegregate]] their parochial schools, including the school she herself attended.<ref name="Silverstein, Stuart, A Power Behind">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-12-21-mn-11373-story.html|title=Herman: A Power Behind the Throne|last1=Lacey|first1=Marc|date=December 21, 1996|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=December 23, 2017|last2=Silverstein|first2=Stuart|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref><ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" /> She was then a social worker with [[Catholic Charities USA|Catholic Charities]] in [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]], where she advocated for the city's shipyard to offer training to unskilled black laborers.<ref name="Wines, Michael, Friends Helped Labor" /> After Pascagoula, Herman moved to [[Atlanta]], Georgia, where she worked as a director of the [[Southern Regional Council]]'s Black Women's Employment Program, a program designed to promote minority women into managerial or technical jobs.<!--<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" />-->

Later, working at New-York-based consulting firm RTP, Herman led programs designed to provide apprenticeships for women in nontraditional jobs.<!--<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" />--> At RTP, she met [[Ray Marshall]].<!--<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" />--> After [[Jimmy Carter]] became president in 1977, he and his incoming Labor Secretary Marshall asked Herman to be director of the Labor Department's [[United States Women's Bureau|Women's Bureau]].<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" /> At age 29, she was the youngest person to hold the position,<ref name=SlimPast>{{cite journal|title=Women in Government: A Slim Past, But a Strong Future|journal=Ebony|date=August 1977|pages=89–92, 96–98}}</ref><ref name="toyota"/> which required her to work towards improving business opportunities for women.<ref name="Thurman, Skip">{{Cite news|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1997/0821/082197.us.us.2.html|title=Role in UPS Strike Lifts Herman's Low Profile|last=Thurman|first=Skip|date=August 21, 1997|work=Christian Science Monitor|access-date=January 27, 2018|issn=0882-7729}}</ref> She worked to encourage corporations to hire more minority women, with companies like [[Coca-Cola]], [[Delta Air Lines|Delta Airlines]], and [[General Motors]] making increased diversity a priority in their hiring process.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8917460|title=Cabinet Secretary Alexis Herman|date=March 15, 2007|work=NPR.org|access-date=January 28, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RlslDQAAQBAJ&q=alexis+herman+president+A.M.+Herman+&pg=PA349|title=American Women Speak: An Encyclopedia and Document Collection of Women's Oratory [2 volumes]|last=Snodgrass|first=Mary Ellen|date=October 24, 2016|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781440837852|pages=349|language=en}}</ref>

In 1981, at the end of the Carter administration, Herman left her job in the Labor Department and founded the consulting firm A.M. Herman & Associates.<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" /> Herman and the firm worked with corporations on a variety of marketing and management issues, including how to develop training programs, marketing strategies, and organizational strategies.<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" /><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ssMBzqrUpjwC&q=A.M.+Herman+&pg=PA288|title=Notable Black American Women|last1=Smith|first1=Jessie Carney|last2=Phelps|first2=Shirelle|date=1996|publisher=VNR AG|isbn=9780810391772|pages=288|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RlslDQAAQBAJ&q=A.M.%20Herman%20&pg=PA349|title=American Women Speak: An Encyclopedia and Document Collection of Women's Oratory [2 volumes]|last=Snodgrass|first=Mary Ellen|date=2016|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781440837852|pages=349|language=en}}</ref> She managed the convention team for [[Jesse Jackson]] in his [[Jesse Jackson 1984 presidential campaign|1984]] and [[Jesse Jackson 1988 presidential campaign|1988]] bids for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots">{{Cite web|url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/1221herman.html|title=Alexis Herman: Social-Worker Roots and Political Experience|last=Smothers|first=Ronald|date=December 21, 1996|website=partners.nytimes.com|access-date=January 13, 2018}}</ref> Her role working for Jackson's campaign led Herman to serve as chief of staff to [[Democratic National Committee]] Chairman [[Ron Brown|Ronald H. Brown]], and later as vice chair of the [[1992 Democratic National Convention]].<ref name="Merida, Kevin, After Pitched Battle">{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/stories/herman122196.htm|title=Washingtonpost.com: After Pitched Battle, Herman Wins Out|last1=Merida|first1=Kevin|last2=Swoboda|first2=Frank|date=December 21, 1996|website=www.washingtonpost.com|access-date=December 23, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" />

===Director of the Office of Public Liaison===
After Bill Clinton's victory in the [[U.S. presidential election, 1992|1992 Presidential election]], Herman became deputy director of the [[United States presidential transition|Presidential Transition Office]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?35678-1/clinton-presidential-transition|title=Clinton Presidential Transition, Dec 7 1992 {{!}} Video {{!}} C-SPAN.org|date=December 7, 1992|website=C-SPAN.org|language=en-US|access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref> Clinton then appointed her director of the [[White House Office of Public Liaison]], where she was responsible for the administration's relations with [[Advocacy group|interest groups]].<ref name="Merida, Kevin, For Herman" /> In that role, Herman repeatedly organized informal dinners to advance White House initiatives or assuage key groups.<ref name="Merida, Kevin, For Herman">{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/stories/herman082097.htm|title=Washingtonpost.com: For Alexis Herman, a Proving Ground|last=Merida|first=Kevin|date=August 20, 1997|website=www.washingtonpost.com|access-date=December 27, 2017}}</ref> She earned the support of the [[NAACP|National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]] and the [[Congressional Black Caucus]] as part of her outreach efforts.<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" /> Herman also earned the respect of members of the business community as part of her effort to gain support for the Clinton Administration's trade deal, the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]].<ref name="Smothers, Ronald, Social-Worker Roots" />

[[File:President Bill Clinton walks and talks with Director of the Office of Public Liaison, Alexis Herman.jpg|thumb|left|Herman walks along the Colonnade of the White House with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]] in February 1995]]
Herman's time as director also included the death of [[United States Secretary of Commerce|Commerce Secretary]], and Herman's former boss at the Democratic National Committee, Ronald Brown, in a [[1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash|plane crash]].<!--<ref name="Merida, Kevin, After Pitched Battle" />--> As director, Herman made arrangements for public and private grieving following the death.<!--<ref name="Merida, Kevin, After Pitched Battle" />--> The tragedy strengthened Herman's bond with President Clinton, who like Herman, had been close to Brown.<ref name="Merida, Kevin, After Pitched Battle" />

===Secretary of Labor===
In 1996, President Clinton announced his intention to nominate Herman as [[United States Secretary of Labor|Secretary of Labor]] to replace outgoing Secretary [[Robert Reich]].<ref name="Silverstein, Stuart, A Power Behind" /><ref name="Merida, Kevin, After Pitched Battle" /> [[trade union|Labor union]]s publicly supported the nomination, although they had mostly supported other potential nominees such as [[Harris Wofford]], [[Esteban Edward Torres]], and [[Alan Wheat]].<ref name="Merida, Kevin, After Pitched Battle" /> Herman's [[U.S. Senate]] confirmation was delayed twice. The first resulted from questions regarding her role in organizing White House coffees Clinton used as fundraisers. The second was because Senate Republicans refused to allow a vote on her nomination, as part of their opposition to a proposed [[executive order]] related to federal construction projects, which Clinton eventually abandoned.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/05/10/herman-sworn-in-as-labor-secretary/3bfd931d-4b9e-4435-b416-033bd8b10568/|title=Herman Sworn in as Labor Secretary|date=May 10, 1997|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=December 23, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-04-30-mn-53967-story.html|title=Labor Secretary-Designate Caught in Power Struggle|last=Dewar|first=Helen|date=April 30, 1997|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=January 27, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> With the delays over, the [[United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions|Senate Labor Committee]] held its hearing on her nomination on March 18, 1997.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/03/19/labor-nominee-breezes-through-hearing/|title=Labor Nominee Breezes Through Hearing|last=Doring|first=Mike|date=March 19, 1997|work=tribunedigital-chicagotribune|access-date=January 27, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?79766-1/secretary-labor-confirmation-hearing|title=Secretary Labor Confirmation Hearing, Mar 18 1997|date=March 18, 1997|website=C-SPAN.org|language=en-US|access-date=January 27, 2018}}</ref> Then on April 30, 1997, the Senate voted to confirm by a vote of 85–13.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/stories/herman050197.htm|title=Washingtonpost.com: Herman Confirmed for Cabinet After Concession by President|last1=Harris|first1=John F.|last2=Swoboda|first2=Frank|date=May 1, 1997|website=www.washingtonpost.com|access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref> Herman was sworn in on May 9, 1997.<ref name="ClintonWhitehouse" /> She became the [[List of Black-American United States Cabinet Secretaries|first Black-American]], and the [[List of female United States Cabinet Secretaries|fifth woman]], to serve in the position.<ref name="ClintonWhitehouse" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov/textonly/WH/EOP/First_Lady/html/teens/herman.html|title=Alexis M. Herman|website=clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov|access-date=December 23, 2017}}</ref>

As Secretary of Labor, Herman oversaw the [[U.S. Department of Labor]], which at the time employed 17,000 people and operated on a $39-billion annual budget.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9OoGywhnYIkC&q=alexis+herman+labor+department+budget+%2439+billion&pg=PA124|title=Racial Justice in America: A Reference Handbook|last=Mustard|first=David B.|date=2003|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781576072141|pages=124|language=en}}</ref> The Department of Labor is tasked with enforcing a variety of workplace laws and regulations, including safety issues and anti-discrimination.<ref name="Taylor, T. Shawn, Secretary of Labor">{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2001/01/28/secretary-of-labor-2/|title=Secretary Of Labor|last=Taylor|first=T. Shawn|date=January 28, 2001|work=tribunedigital-chicagotribune|access-date=January 21, 2018|language=en}}</ref> During Herman's tenure, American unemployment was at its lowest level in decades.<ref name="Taylor, T. Shawn, Secretary of Labor" />
[[File:Aherman1.jpg|thumb|upright|Herman's official U.S. Department of Labor portrait]]
Herman earned praise from her peers for her handling of the [[United Parcel Service strike of 1997|1997 United Parcel Service (UPS) workers strike]], the largest strike in the United States in two decades.<ref name="ClintonWhitehouse">{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/herman.htm|title=Washingtonpost.com: Politics -- The Administration, Alexis M. Herman|date=1998|website=www.washingtonpost.com|access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Merida, Kevin, For Herman" /><ref name="Taylor, T. Shawn, Secretary of Labor" /> After the strike began in August, Herman met privately with the [[Teamsters]]' president [[Ron Carey (labor leader)|Ron Carey]] and the UPS chairman to frame the issues. She was an instrumental mediator in the talks,<!--<ref name="Merida, Kevin, For Herman" />--> and the strike was settled after 15 days.<ref name="Merida, Kevin, For Herman" /> Herman's role in resolving the strike raised her public profile as she began to pursue her agenda as Secretary.<ref name="Thurman, Skip" />

As secretary, Herman supported the 1996 and 1997 raises to the [[Minimum wage in the United States|minimum wage]], increasing it by $0.90 to $5.15 per hour by September 1997.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,9273,00.html|title=Lowest-Rate Workers Get Labor Day Raise|last=Pellegrini|first=Frank|date=September 1, 1997|magazine=Time|access-date=January 20, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0040-781X}}</ref><ref name="Minimum wage jumps">{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9709/01/minimum.wage/|title=Minimum wage jumps to $5.15|date=September 1, 1997|website=www.cnn.com|access-date=January 20, 2018}}</ref> Herman argued the wage hike increased the buying power of workers.<ref name="Minimum wage jumps" /> She later opposed a 1999 Republican-supported plan to raise the minimum wage over three years, instead supporting a two-year time-table for an increase.<ref name="2 in Cabinet Push" /> Herman also opposed the legislation as it included tax cuts without offsets.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-passes-gop-wage-hike/|title=Senate Passes GOP Wage Hike|date=November 9, 1999|work=cbs.com|access-date=January 20, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref name="2 in Cabinet Push">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-02-mn-28960-story.html|title=2 in Cabinet Push Minimum Wage Bill Veto|last=Associated Press|date=November 2, 1999|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=January 20, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref>

Among Herman's responsibilities as secretary was the enforcement of [[Child labour law|child labor laws]].<ref name="Taylor, T. Shawn, Secretary of Labor" /> During her tenure, the Department of Labor fined toy store chain [[Toys "R" Us]] $200,000 for violating laws restricting the type of work that may be done, and the number of hours that may be worked by underage employees.<ref name="Associated Press, Toys R Us">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-02-fi-39629-story.html|title=Toys R Us Slapped With $200,000 Fine for Hundreds of Child Labor Violations|last=Associated Press|date=December 2, 1999|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=January 22, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> It found more than 300 teenage employees were working more and later hours than permitted, and Toys "R" Us agreed to stop the practices.<ref name="Associated Press, Toys R Us" />

Herman supported the United States' participation in the [[International Labour Organization|International Labor Organization's]] Child Labor Convention, a treaty designed to protect children under 18 years old from slavery, trafficking, bondage, and other abuses.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-signs-child-labor-treaty/|title=U.S. Signs Child Labor Treaty|date=December 2, 1999|work=CBSNews.com|access-date=January 22, 2018|language=en}}</ref> She also defended the United States' support of a provision to allow for voluntary military service of those under 18 years old, a practice allowed in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands.<ref name="Another Cabinet Member Cleared" /> Opponents, including other nations, [[trade union]]s, and [[Amnesty International]] urged tougher provisions; however, Herman contended the focus of the treaty should be on forced labor, not voluntary military service.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/18/world/un-agency-adopts-treaty-on-child-labor.html|title=U.N. Agency Adopts Treaty on Child Labor|last=Olson|first=Elizabeth|date=June 18, 1999|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 22, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] [[Janet Reno]] appointed [[United States Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel|Independent Counsel]] Ralph I. Lancaster Jr., in May 1998, to investigate Herman after businessman Laurent J. Yene alleged she accepted [[Kickback (bribery)|kickbacks]] while working at the White House.<ref name="Another Cabinet Member Cleared">{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/04/08/another-cabinet-member-cleared/|title=Another Cabinet Member Cleared|date=April 8, 2000|work=tribunedigital-chicagotribune|access-date=January 21, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/09/08/clinton-questioned-about-herman/|title=Clinton Questioned About Herman|date=September 8, 1999|work=tribunedigital-chicagotribune|access-date=January 21, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Jackson, Robert L., Labor Secretary Cleared">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-apr-06-mn-16574-story.html|title=Labor Secretary Cleared After Bribery Probe|last=Jackson|first=Robert L.|date=April 6, 2000|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=January 22, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> Reno was skeptical of Yene's allegations following a preliminary [[FBI]] investigation, but she believed the law obligated her to appoint independent counsel where she could not affirm the claims were without merit.<ref name="Jackson, Robert L., Labor Secretary Cleared" /> Following a twenty-three month investigation, Independent Counsel Lancaster concluded that Herman had broken no laws and cleared her of all wrongdoing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/06/us/labor-secretary-is-cleared-in-inquiry-on-kickbacks.html|title=Labor Secretary Is Cleared in Inquiry on Kickbacks|last=Lewis|first=Neil A.|date=April 6, 2000|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 27, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Another Cabinet Member Cleared" /> She was the fifth Clinton cabinet officer to be investigated by independent counsel, and the fourth cleared of all wrongdoing.<ref name="Another Cabinet Member Cleared" /><ref name="Jackson, Robert L., Labor Secretary Cleared" /> The Independent Counsel investigations of the cabinet members cost $95 million and did not uncover any felonies, leading Congress to allow the [[Independent Counsel Act]] to expire in June 1999 without re-authorization.<ref name="Jackson, Robert L., Labor Secretary Cleared" />

Herman was active in [[Al Gore|Al Gore's]] 2000 campaign for president.<ref name="Broder, John M, Counting the Vote">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/23/us/counting-vote-vice-president-gore-has-decided-start-engines-his-transition.html|title=Counting the Vote: The Vice President; Gore Has Decided to Start Engines of His Transition|last1=Seelye|first1=Katharine Q.|date=November 23, 2000|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 30, 2017|last2=Broder|first2=John M.|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> During the [[Florida election recount]], Herman was part of the team planning a transition to a Gore Administration. ''[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]'' and ''[[The New York Times]]'' considered her a likely candidate to remain in Gore's White House if he won.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=122333&page=1|title=Bush Meets Congressional Leaders|last=ABC News|date=December 3, 2000|website=ABC News|access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Broder, John M, Counting the Vote" /> [[Elaine Chao]] replaced her as Secretary of Labor in the [[George W. Bush]] administration.<ref name="Taylor, T. Shawn, Secretary of Labor" />

===Post-government===
[[File:Thomas Perez and Alexis Herman, 2015.jpg|right|thumb|[[Thomas Perez]] and Alexis Herman participate in a round table discussion of the U.S. Department of Labor's 2012 findings on [[Unfree labour|forced labor]] and [[human trafficking]], September 30, 2013]]
Herman served as co-chair of Democratic presidential nominee [[John Kerry|John Kerry's]] transition team during the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 presidential election]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2004/10/21/kerry_maps_postelection_plan/|title=Kerry maps postelection plan - The Boston Globe|last=Fournier|first=Ron|date=October 21, 2004|website=archive.boston.com|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref> In 2005, [[Howard Dean]], serving as [[Democratic National Committee]] Chairman, appointed Herman and lawyer [[James Roosevelt, Jr. (lawyer)|James Roosevelt, Jr.]] co-chairs of its Rules and Bylaws Committee.<ref name="Parsons, Christi, Inside a party's">{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2008/05/30/inside-a-partys-family-feud/|title=Inside a party's family feud|last=Parsons|first=Christi|date=May 30, 2008|work=tribunedigital-chicagotribune|access-date=January 21, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90957574&ft=1&f=1102|title=Who's Who on the Rules and Bylaws Committee|last=Cook|first=Nancy|date=May 29, 2008|newspaper=NPR.org|access-date=January 21, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>[http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/5/3/5655/00889 MyDD: Vote Counting the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604013642/http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/5/3/5655/00889 |date=June 4, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/31/dems.delegates/index.html|title=It's decision day for Democrats|last1=Crowley|first1=Candy|date=May 31, 2009|work=cnn.com|access-date=June 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531160733/http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/31/dems.delegates/index.html|archive-date=May 31, 2008|last2=Hornick|first2=Ed|last3=Mooney|first3=Alexander|last4=Preston|first4=Mark|last5=Rubin|first5=Josh|last6=Schneider|first6=Bill}}</ref> The position put Herman and Roosevelt at the center of a dispute between the campaigns of democratic primary candidates [[Barack Obama]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] over whether to seat delegates from Michigan and Florida at the [[2008 Democratic National Convention]].<ref name="Parsons, Christi, Inside a party's" /> Herman endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 [[Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016|Democratic Party Presidential primaries]] and served as Deputy Parliamentarian at the [[2016 Democratic National Convention]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/clinton-gains-support-170-african-american-women-leaders-n510846|title=Clinton Gains Support From 170 African American Women Leaders|last=Cottman|first=Michael|date=February 3, 2016|work=NBC News|access-date=January 23, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.golocalprov.com/politics/new-raimondo-named-one-of-six-democratic-convention-co-chairs|title=NEW: Raimondo Named One of Six Democratic Convention Co-Chairs|last=Nagle|first=Kate|date=July 25, 2016|work=GoLocalProv|access-date=January 23, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

From 2001 to 2006, Herman was chairwoman of [[The Coca-Cola Company]]'s Human Resources Task Force. The following year, Coca-Cola made her a director. Herman served on [[Toyota]]'s Diversity Advisory Board.<ref name="toyota">{{Cite news|url=https://www.toyota.com/usa/diversity/|title=Workplace Diversity, Inclusion & Recognition|work=Toyota USA|access-date=January 13, 2018|language=en}}</ref> In 2006, the company appointed her to head a special task force to ensure the company's compliance with anti-discrimination standards following the resignation of Toyota North America's CEO, after being named the defendant in a [[sexual harassment]] lawsuit.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/09/AR2006050900212.html|title=Toyota President Steps Down Amid Lawsuit|last=Kageyama|first=Yuri|date=May 9, 2006|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=January 27, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Herman served on the boards of other major companies, including [[Cummins]], [[MGM Resorts International]], [[Entergy]], [[Sodexo]], and was the chairman and CEO of New Ventures, Inc.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.energy.gov/contributors/alexis-herman|title=Alexis Herman Former Secretary of Labor|website=www.energy.gov|language=en|access-date=July 6, 2018}}</ref>

In 2010, Herman was appointed to the board of the [[Clinton Bush Haiti Fund]], a charitable organization founded by Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to aid [[Haiti]] following a [[2010 Haiti earthquake|magnitude 7.0&nbsp;M<sub>w</sub> earthquake]] in January of that year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hopethroughhealinghands.org/press-releases?ID=7f2024f5-0ba4-4cb4-983c-c6e12239a198|title=Clinton Bush Haiti Fund Appoints Board of Directors and CEO|date=March 10, 2010|work=Hope Through Healing Hands|access-date=January 27, 2018|language=en}}</ref> Herman was also involved with civic groups including the [[National Urban League]] and the National Epilepsy Foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.blackpast.org/aah/herman-alexis-margaret-1947|title=Herman, Alexis Margaret (1947-- )|last=Venable|first=Cecilia Gutierrez|website=www.blackpast.org|date=September 16, 2013|language=en|access-date=January 27, 2018}}</ref> 

== Honors ==
Herman was awarded more than 20 honorary doctorate degrees from academic institutions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/diversityleaders/speakers/alexis-herman.html|title=Diversity Leadership Congress: The Honorable Alexis M. Herman|website=web.mit.edu|language=en|access-date=July 3, 2018|archive-date=June 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616151519/http://web.mit.edu/diversityleaders/speakers/alexis-herman.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Personal life and death ==
Herman was [[Carnival Queen|Queen of Carnival]] for the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association in 1974.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mamga.com/id12.html|title=Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association|website=www.mamga.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224053946/http://www.mamga.com/id12.html|archive-date=February 24, 2012|access-date=January 21, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Hoffman, Roy, MAMGA queen 1940">{{Cite news|url=http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/02/mamga_queen_1940_looks_back_at.html|title=MAMGA queen 1940 looks back at age 90 on the elegance and festivity of first black Mardi Gras|last=Hoffman|first=Roy|date=February 19, 2012|work=AL.com|access-date=January 16, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://blog.al.com/live/2010/01/jamarcus_russell_to_be_crowned.html|title=JaMarcus Russell to be crowned King Elexis I by Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association|last=Hoffman|first=Roy|date=January 19, 2010|work=AL.com|access-date=January 16, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> Her father had served as King of Carnival in his youth.<ref name="Hoffman, Roy, MAMGA queen 1940" />

Herman married physician Charles Franklin Jr. in February 2000 at the [[Washington National Cathedral]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/02/15/the-reliable-source/010ac1ce-7efb-4bd6-a311-2720184440a5/|title=The Reliable Source|last=Grove|first=Lloyd|date=February 15, 2000|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=December 23, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Franklin had three children from previous marriages. He died in 2014 following an extended illness.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?n=charles-l-franklin&pid=171247836|title=Charles L. Franklin Jr.'s Obituary on The Washington Post|date=June 6, 2015|website=legacy.com|access-date=December 23, 2017}}</ref>

Herman died in [[Washington, D.C.]], on April 25, 2025, at the age of 77.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sandomir |first1=Richard |title=Alexis Herman, First Black Secretary of Labor, Dies at 77 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/us/politics/alexis-herman-dead.html |access-date=April 27, 2025 |website=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 27, 2025 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Politics|United States}}
*[[List of Black-American firsts]]
*[[List of Black-American United States Cabinet members]]
*[[List of female United States Cabinet members]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Alexis Herman}}
*{{IMDb name| 2826706}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051226182109/http://www.dol.gov/asp/programs/history/herman.htm U.S. Department of Labor Biography]
* [http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/05/26/herman/ Private Attorney Chosen To Investigate Alexis Herman, CNN, AllPolitics, May 26, 1998]
* [http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/09/08/herman/ Clinton questioned in Alexis Herman investigation, CNN, September 8, 1999]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080228084546/http://bulk.resource.org/gpo.gov/record/1997/1997_S03409.pdf Congressional Record—Senate S3409, April 22, 1997]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071215010505/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/12/03/karl.debrief/index.html Jonathan Karl on the possible 'sleeper case' in the election dispute, CNN, December 3, 2000]
* {{C-SPAN|849}}

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{{s-bef|before=[[Robert Reich]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Secretary of Labor]]|years=1997–2001}}
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{{Clinton cabinet}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Herman, Alexis}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:2025 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]
[[Category:African-American Catholics]]
[[Category:African-American members of the Cabinet of the United States]]
[[Category:Alabama Democrats]]
[[Category:American social workers]]
[[Category:Clinton administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Delta Sigma Theta members]]
[[Category:Directors of The Coca-Cola Company]]
[[Category:Politicians from Mobile, Alabama]]
[[Category:United States secretaries of labor]]
[[Category:Women in Alabama politics]]
[[Category:Women members of the Cabinet of the United States]]
[[Category:Xavier University of Louisiana alumni]]