In August 1972, Newsweek proclaimed that "the person in Washington who has done the most for the women's movement may be Richard Nixon." Today, opinions of the Nixon administration are strongly colored by foreign policy successes and the Watergate debacle. Its accomplishments in advancing the role of women in government have been largely forgotten. A Matter of Simple Justice illuminates the administration's groundbreaking efforts to expand the role of women--and the long-term consequences for women in the American workplace. The book focuses on Barbara Hackman Franklin, a staff assistant to the president who was hired to recruit more women into the upper levels of the federal government. Franklin helped to bring more than one hundred women into executive positions in the government--almost four times more than in any previous administration. In addition, the administration expanded the numbers of women on presidential commissions and boards, changed civil service rules to open thousands more federal jobs to women, and expanded enforcement of anti-discrimination laws to include gender discrimination. The second part of the book highlights the personal stories of other trailblazing women, such as Ambassador Anne Armstrong, Senator Elizabeth Dole and Judge Cynthia Hall, who describe their experience breaking down barriers to fight for gender equality. Although largely unknown today, the story of Barbara Franklin and a "few good women" shaped the opportunities available to women for generations to come.