William Merchant Richardson French (1843–1914) was an American engineer. He first came to Chicago in 1867 to pursue a career in civil engineering and landscaping. During his time in Chicago, he gained a national reputation for his lectures and articles on art subjects. In 1878, he became Secretary of the Chicago Academy of Design, which was later reorganized as the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in 1879. The Academy changed its name to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1882. French became the secretary of this new corporation and its first director in 1885, a position he held until his death in 1914.

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