Arthur French (politician)

Arthur French (1764 24 November 1820) was an Irish Whig politician.

In 1783, he was elected a Member of Parliament (MP) for Roscommon County in the Irish House of Commons. After the Act of Union in 1801 he represented Roscommon in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. He was alleged to have been offered an Earldom if he would support the Union of Ireland with Great Britain but refused the honour. Later he also refused a Barony with no strings attached. A critic of the policy of collective fines as a deterrent to the illicit distillation of poteen, he incurred the wrath of Chief Secretary of Ireland Robert Peel who called him "an Abominable fellow". He also criticized the continuation of martial law in Ireland. One report at the time states that he had died "from excessive fox hunting".

References

Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by
Edward Crofton
Maurice Mahon
Member of Parliament for Roscommon County
1783–1800
With: Edward Crofton 1783–1798
George King, Viscount Kingsborough 1798–1799
Thomas Mahon 1799–1801
Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency Member of Parliament for Roscommon
1801–1820
With: Thomas Mahon 1801–1802
Edward King 1802–1806
Stephen Mahon 1806–1820
Succeeded by
Arthur French
Stephen Mahon


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