Samuel French managed the London business while his son, Thomas Henry, took control of the New York operations.

[4] In the late 1800s, Samuel French began publishing contemporary American dramas and making more plays available to Little Theatres.

Samuel French's annual Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival (commonly referred to as OOB) takes place every summer in New York City.

The festival has resulted in the publication of nearly 200 plays since its inception in 1975, including those by Sheila Callaghan, Theresa Rebeck, and Saviana Stanescu.

[8][needs update] The company was founded when Samuel French and Thomas Hailes Lacy formed a partnership in 1859, combining their existing interests in London and New York City.