Career
Born in Belfast in 1934, French joined Sinn Féin as a youth and remained with the party as it evolved into the Workers" Party. After attending teacher training college he became a schoolteacher in Lurgan, County Armagh. He was an early recruit to the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association and participated in many of its civil rights marches throughout Northern Ireland in the late 1960s.
He worked closely beside Malachy McGurran who was a major figure in the northern republican movement from the late 1950s and a Vice-President of Official Sinn Féin.
He remained a councillor, alternating between representing the Loughside and Craigavon Central areas, until 1993 when he lost his seat. He also unsuccessfully contested Armagh in the 1982 Assembly election and subsequent 1983 by-election and contested one of its successor constituencies, Upper Bann at every election from its creation in 1983 until 2005.
His best result was the 19% which he polled in the 1986 by-election where he was the only candidate opposing the sitting Member of Parliament. In 1992, he was elected Chairman of the Workers" Party in the North and in 1996 was elected to the position of Party President, replacing Marian Donnelly. He retired from that position in 2000 and was replaced by Seán Garland.
He stepped down from the Ard Comhairle some years later.
An avid opera lover and considered to have a fine singing voice, Tom French participated in the Wexford Opera Festival on several occasions.
