Tom French (Northern Ireland politician)
{{Distinguish|Tom French (Australian politician)}}{{Short description|Northern Irish politician (born 1934)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Tom French
| image = Tom French.jpg
| caption =
| office = President of the Workers' Party
| term_start = 1994
| term_end = 1998
| predecessor = Marian Donnelly
| successor = Seán Garland
| office1 = Member of Craigavon Borough Council
| constituency1 = Loughside
| term_start1 = 17 May 1989
| term_end1 = 19 May 1993
| predecessor1 = Padraig Breen
| successor1 = Peter Smyth
| constituency2 = Craigavon Central
| term_start2 = 15 May 1985
| term_end2 = 17 May 1989
| predecessor2 = District created
| successor2 = Sean Hagan
| constituency3 = Craigavon Area C
| term_start3 = 1978
| term_end3 = 15 May 1985
| predecessor3 = Malachy McGurran
| successor3 = District abolished
| birth_date = 1934
| birth_place = Belfast, Northern Ireland
| death_date = {{Death date |df=yes|2023|03|12|1934}} (aged 88)
| death_place = Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
| party = Workers' Party (from 1970)
| otherparty = Sinn Fein (until 1970)
}}
Tom French (1934 – 12 March 2023) was a Northern Irish politician who served as president of the Workers' Party from 1994 to 1998, as well as a Craigavon Borough Councillor from 1978 to 1993
Born in Belfast in 1934, French joined Sinn Féin as a youth and remained with the party as it evolved into the Workers' Party.{{cite news |last1=Breslin |first1=John |title=One time Workers' Party leader Tom French dies aged 88 |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2023/03/13/news/one_time_workers_party_leader_tom_french_dies_aged_88-3129960/ |access-date=19 October 2023 |work=Irish News |date=13 March 2023}}
Early life
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. When Sinn Féin split in 1970, French supported the Official wing and was a member of its first Publicity Committee.Roy HW Johnston, Century of Endeavour (p.294) Much later, he became a founding member of the Peace Train Organisation, which was formed to oppose the Provisional IRA's bombing of the Dublin to Belfast railway line.
Political career
French 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 was heavily involved in McGurran's various election campaigns and when McGurran died in 1978, French won the local by-election to fill his seat on Craigavon Borough Council. He remained a councillor, alternating between representing the Loughside and Craigavon Central areas, until 1993 when he lost his seat.{{cite web|url=http://www.eoni.org.uk/index/elections/election-results-1973-2001.htm|title=Northern Ireland local government election results 1973-2001|publisher=Electoral Office for Northern Ireland|access-date=9 August 2008|archive-date=2 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502112048/http://www.eoni.org.uk/index/elections/election-results-1973-2001.htm|url-status=dead}} He also unsuccessfully contested Armagh in the 1982 Assembly election and subsequent 1983 by-election{{cite web|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/carmagh.htm|title=Armagh 1973-1983|publisher=Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast|author=Nicholas Whyte|work=ARK|accessdate=8 April 2020}} 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 MP.{{cite web|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/bub.htm|title=Upper Bann - Election results, 1983-1992|publisher=Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast|author=Nicholas Whyte|work=ARK|accessdate=8 April 2020}} In 1996 he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Northern Ireland Forum election in Upper Bann.{{cite web|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/96ub.htm |title=1996 Forum Elections: Candidates in Upper Bann|publisher=Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast|author=Nicholas Whyte|work=ARK|accessdate=8 April 2020}}
He was a member of the Ard Comhairle / Central Executive Committee of the Workers' Party for many years. In 1992, he was elected Chairman of the Workers' Party in the North{{cite web |url=http://www.emigrant.ie/article.asp?iCategoryID=200&iArticleID=64271 |title=THE IRISH EMIGRANT Issue No.265 |accessdate=18 August 2013|date=2 March 1992 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124065824/http://www.emigrant.ie/article.asp?iCategoryID=200&iArticleID=64271 |archivedate=24 November 2007 |df=dmy-all }} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.districtpolicing.com/wless/craigavon/craigavon-surveys.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710140031/http://www.districtpolicing.com/wless/craigavon/craigavon-surveys.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 July 2011|title=Local Policing: We need to know what you think|publisher=Craigavon District Policing Partnership|date=30 May 2006}} He stepped down from the Ard Comhairle some years later.
Personal life
An avid opera lover{{fact|date=April 2020}} and considered{{by whom|date=April 2020}} to have a fine singing voice, Tom French participated in the Wexford Opera Festival on several occasions.{{fact|date=April 2020}}
He died after a long battle with Parkinson's disease on 12 March 2023.
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before = Marian Donnelly}}
{{s-ttl|title = President of the Workers' Party
|years = 1996–2000}}
{{s-aft|after = Seán Garland}}
{{s-end}}
{{OIRA/WP}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:French, Tom}}
Category:Members of Craigavon Borough Council
Category:Workers' Party (Ireland) politicians