Daniel French, chairman of French Oil Mill Machinery, dies at 79

PIQUA, Ohio—Daniel French, a more than five-decade veteran of family-owned French Oil Mill Machinery Co., died Oct. 13 at the age of 79.

He joined French Oil in 1971, the family business started in 1900 by his grandfather, Alfred Willard French.

But his tenure with the rubber machinery maker didn't start until after service in the U.S. Air Force. French graduated from Princeton University in 1966 with a bachelor's in sociology, while also serving as a cadet colonel in Princeton's Air Force ROTC unit. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force the day before his Princeton graduation.

He served five years active duty, including service in Vietnam as a member of a special operations unit, and 23 years in the reserve. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1994, having earned a wide variety of accolades and medals.

After the end of his active duty, he joined French Oil, a Piqua-based company that designs, makes and supports hydraulic press systems for molding rubber and composite materials, rubber mixers, de-watering and drying presses for synthetic rubber production, and oilseed processing equipment.

He was part of the third generation of family members to work with French Oil. And like others before and after him, French had to work his way up through the company ranks. He worked in the factory as a machinist, as assistant foreman in the assembly department, in the cost accounting department, and then as purchasing manager.

French was promoted to executive vice president, before becoming president in 1982. He served in that post for 31 years, before he "stepped up" to chairman and CEO, promoting a younger man, Jason McDaniel, as the new president.

French led the firm through periods of significant changes and economic cycles, downsizing as needed, adding new product lines, divesting the oilseed solvent extraction business, acquiring a product line and an entire business, and starting a wholly owned foreign enterprise in Shanghai, China, among other changes, according to his daughter, Tayte French Lutz.

She joined the business in 2010, and was elected in September as company CEO. French Lutz will succeed her father as chairman of the board.

During his years of leadership, Daniel French said he learned that when hiring people, there are some attributes that must be embedded with employees when they arrive.

"There's certain things I can't change about a person no matter what. Are they smart? Dependable? Honest? Especially honesty. I put a high premium on honesty," French told Rubber News in 2021 when he was celebrating his 50th anniversary with French Oil. "If I can't depend on what people are telling me, then I don't need them around.

"... You want the best people you can find. There are some people who don't want to hire somebody who is smarter than they are. I think the reverse is true. If you can hire somebody who is smarter than you are, you will both succeed faster and better. So it's the right thing to do."

French Lutz said when she joined the family business, she could not have anticipated the transition in her relationship with her father.

"Over the course of 13 incredible years, I consider myself profoundly fortunate to have shared a professional path with my dad," she said. "His unwavering commitment to the company and his exceptional example of servant leadership were nothing short of contagious. He challenged me to grow, continuously pushing me, molding me into the leader I am today.

"Every day, I'll carry the memory of my No. 1 cheerleader and mentor with me, his absence a constant reminder of the legacy I'm determined to uphold for the betterment of all stakeholders of the French Oil Mill Machinery Co."

French was an associate member of the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers and a member of the American Oil Chemists Society, among other professional organizations. He also played an active role in the Ohio Manufacturers Association and a number of community organizations.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Margaret Loomis French; sister Susan French Muirhead; children Peter Loomis and Carolyn Gill French, and Tayte French Lutz and Michael Lutz; and grandchildren Laura Wells French, Amelia Gill French, Loomis Negley French, Estelle French Lutz and Dominic Rozzi Lutz.

Contributions in his honor can be made to Piqua Community Foundation, 209 W. Ash St., P.O. Box 226, Piqua, Ohio 45356.