Her father was a state representative for sixteen years and the superintendent of the local school district.
Under Ms. French's supervision, the Visits Section provided major support and organization for the Asian-Pacific Economic Council Conference in Seattle, Washington, the Summit of the Americas in Miami, Florida, and the United Nations 50th anniversary in New York.
"[3] From October 1996 until November 1997, French served as Deputy Chief of Protocol with "extensive duties that included greeting foreign visitors, conducting swear-ins of senior State Department officials, hosting diplomatic events, and representing the President and Secretary at embassy events.
Thereafter, she was sworn in as Chief of Protocol with the rank of Ambassador by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on November 13, 1997.
[7] For many years, French lived in Little Rock, where she was on the Arkansas Governor's Mansion Board, serving as its president from 1991 until 1992.