Franklin, Barbara Hackman, 1940-

Barbara Hackman Franklin was sworn in as secretary of commerce on March 23, 1992. Born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Franklin graduated from the Pennsylvania State University (1962) and was one of the first females to earn her M.B.A. at Harvard Business School (1964).In the 1970s, she was a staff assistant to President Nixon (1971-1973) and commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (1973-1979). During her time as senior fellow and director of the government and business program at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School (1979-1988), Franklin served as a member of the President's Advisory Council for Trade Policy and Negotiations (1982-1984), on the board of directors of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (1979-1986), and as president and chief executive officer of Barbara Franklin Enterprises (1980-present).She returned to government in 1989, once more as a member of the President's Advisory Council for Trade Policy and Negotiations (1989-1992) and as an alternate for the Forty-Fourth United Nations General Assembly (1989-1990), before becoming secretary of commerce in 1992. She remains president and chief executive officer of Barbara Franklin Enterprises.

<p>Barbara Hackman Franklin (born March 19, 1940) is an American government official, corporate director, and business executive. She served as the 29th U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 1992–1993 to President George H.W. Bush, during which she led a presidential mission to China.</p>

<p>Prior to her cabinet position, Franklin served in the presidential administrations of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. She was one of the original commissioners and first vice chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. In 2006, she received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service.</p>

<p>Franklin has served on the board of directors of 18 companies, including Dow Chemical, Aetna Inc., Westinghouse, and Nordstrom. Directorship magazine and the American Management Association named her one of the most influential people in corporate governance, and in 2014 she was inducted into the Directorship 100 Hall of Fame. She is currently the president and CEO of Barbara Franklin Enterprises, a private international consulting firm.</p>

<p>Franklin was one of the first women graduates of the Harvard Business School. She is married to Wallace Barnes, retired chairman and CEO of Barnes Group.</p>