He belonged to the long-established French family of Frenchpark, County Roscommon, who were substantial landowners who also made money in the wine trade.
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, although in time three of his sons would hold the title Baron de Freyne.
The Crown was frequently irritated by French's demands for offices and favours for his brothers and sons, although such behaviour was entirely typical of an Irish politician at the time.
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", but his enormous popularity in Roscommon meant that he could not be ignored.