Who became the first U.S. Secretary of Labor when the Department of Labor was created?

William B. Wilson became the first U.S. Secretary of Labor when the Department of Labor was created in 1913.

Wilson was a Scottish-born American labor leader and Democratic politician from Pennsylvania. Before entering the cabinet, he worked as a coal miner and became active in the United Mine Workers of America. His experience in mining and union organization shaped his approach to federal labor policy.

Wilson served as labor secretary from 1913 to 1921 under President Woodrow Wilson. During his tenure, the department dealt with industrial safety, employment conditions, labor disputes, and the effects of World War I on the workforce.

He is sometimes confused with later labor secretaries such as Frances Perkins, who was the first woman to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet, and James J. Davis, who held the labor post during the 1920s.