French, Daniel Chester (1850–1931)

US sculptor. He produced mainly public monuments. His most famous works include The Minute Man 1875 in Concord, Massachusetts, John Harvard 1884 at Harvard College, Alma Mater at Columbia University, and the imposing seated Abraham Lincoln 1922 in the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC.

Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, French briefly attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before embarking on an artistic career. Trained in anatomy and sculpture in private studios in Boston, New York, and Europe, he was by far the most noted American sculptor of public monuments in the late 19th century.