John W. French (1808 - July 8, 1871, aged 63) was an American Episcopal clergyman and educator. His daughter was Mary French, who later married American Painter, Sculptor and Professor John Ferguson Weir. He was appointed chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives on May 31, 1841, and was the first Episcopalian to hold this position.[1] He was the founding priest of the Church of the Epiphany in Washington, D.C. He resigned that post and became the chaplain for and Professor of Ethics and Law for the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.