He was Chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1912 to 1914, Commander of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War from 1914 to 1915 and Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland from 1919 to 1922.

He was succeeded by his son John Richard Lowndes French, the second Earl, who was a Captain in the Royal Field Artillery, as well as a talented artist.

On his death, the titles passed to his son John Richard Charles Lambart French, the third Earl.

The family's wealth had decreased; he was employed as a hall porter in a Chelsea mansion block, nevertheless maintaining "a Monty Pythonesque sense of humour about his predicament".

Other notable members of the family were the suffragette and writer Charlotte Despard, the elder sister of the first Earl, and Lady Lucy French, youngest daughter of the third Earl, who became a prominent journalist and has done extensive work for charity and fundraising for the arts, most notably for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.