Peter Brennan; Former U.S. Secretary of Labor

Peter Brennan, 78, who was U.S. secretary of Labor in the Cabinet of President Richard Nixon. Brennan was named to the post after organizing a pro-Vietnam War demonstration. He rose to national prominence in 1970 when he organized 100,000 construction workers to rally for Nixon’s war policies. At the time, Brennan was head of the New York city and state Building and Construction Trade Councils. A counterdemonstration by Vietnam War opponents led to violence. Nixon thanked Brennan for his support in the Oval Office, giving him a hard hat with an American flag and the words “Commander in Chief.” After Nixon’s reelection in 1972, he named Brennan to the Cabinet, where Brennan served until 1975. He was credited with helping strengthen pension plan safeguards and worker safety enforcement. On Wednesday in Massapequa, N.Y., of lymphatic cancer.