David French: Chautauqua Institution Lecture Series
Route 394, Chautauqua, NY 14722
David French is an opinion columnist for The New York Times, where he writes about law, culture, religion, and armed conflict. He was previously a senior editor at The Dispatch, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, a columnist at Time and a senior writer at National Review. He and Melody Barnes were the inaugural Chautauqua Perry Fellows in Democracy, serving in the 2024–25 cycle.
French is a former litigator, working for both commercial and public interest law firms as well as in constitutional law. In his past role as president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, he defended free speech, religious freedom and due process in courtrooms across the country.
He is The New York Times bestselling author of Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation, in which he warns of the potential dangers to the country — and the world — if we don’t summon the courage to reconcile our political differences.
A former major in the United States Army Reserve, French was deployed to Iraq and served in Diyala Province as Squadron Judge Advocate for the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, where he was awarded the Bronze Star. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.