Richard French (June 20, 1792 – May 1, 1854) was an American lawyer and politician who served three separate times as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Early life and career

Born near Boonesborough, Kentucky, French attended private schools. He studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1820 and commenced practice in

Winchester, Kentucky Winchester is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 19,134 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winchester is located r ...

. He served as member of the State house of representatives 1820–1826. He served as judge of the circuit court in 1829.

U.S. House

French was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1836 to the Twenty-fifth Congress. He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of Kentucky in 1840. French was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845). French was again elected to the Thirtieth Congress (March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849).

After Congress

He resumed the practice of law. He died in

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...

, on May 1, 1854. He was interred in the family burial ground near

Mount Sterling, Kentucky Mount Sterling, often written as Mt. Sterling, is a home rule-class city in Montgomery County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 7,558 as of the 2020 census, up from 6,895 in 2010. It is the county seat of Montgomery County and the pr ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:French, Richard 1792 births 1854 deaths Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 19th-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives