Charles French (entomologist)

French was born in Lewisham, Kent, England, the son of John French (died 1848) and Ellen, née Tucker. Ellen remarried and the young French moved to Melbourne with his family in 1852. For some years he worked as a gold digger in Bendigo. They settled in Cheltenham, a suburb of Melbourne.^[1]

French became interested in natural history and was apprenticed to a nurseryman at James Scott's nursery, Hawthorn. French became a manager of Burgie's nursery in East Melbourne (South Yarra nurseries) where he later met Ferdinand von Mueller, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. In 1865 Mueller appointed French as a plant propagator to the staff at the Gardens.^[1]

In 1873 William Guilfoyle was appointed curator of the Gardens and French was placed in charge of fern propagation in the nursery complex.

French had resumed his interest in insects in 1860. In 1874 he co-authored an article on timber-boring insects which appeared in the annual report of the Department of Agriculture. This is considered the first publication on economic entomology in Victoria. He suggested the use of nicotine (tobacco water) to control woolly aphids in planting material.^[2] Four further parts were published by 1911.

French died in Malvern, Melbourne, on 21 May 1933; he was survived by his third wife, a son and daughter from the first marriage and a daughter from his second marriage.^[3]