HEATHER FRENCH

'Heather Renee French' (born 1974^[1] in Augusta, Kentucky^[2]) won the title of Miss America in 2000, continuing a tradition of dominance by Southern contestants in the Miss America pageant. She is a 1992 graduate of Mason County High School.
After becoming Miss America, French became an advocate for homeless veterans. She founded the Heather French Foundation for Veterans and remains its executive director. She won the Purple Heart Recognition Award for her efforts in 2002.
In 2000, she was named Kentuckian of the Year 1999 by ''Kentucky Monthly'' magazine for her Miss America win, the first by a Miss Kentucky and her support of veterans. She is the only person to appear on the cover of the magazine three times.
Three weeks into her reign as Miss America in her first visit to Washington, D.C., French was invited to a fundraising gala of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee as a guest of Senator John Kerry. Vice President Al Gore invited her to the podium to address the gathering, and she announced, to a cheering crowd, that she was changing her party affiliation and registering as a Democrat. The ''Washington Post'' reported her comments on October 20, 1999: "I'm for whomever stands for veterans' causes. I believe the Democratic Party stands for social programs, and I'm strong on that, so I'm switching my registration to Democrat."
She married Steve Henry, who was then serving as Lt. Governor of Kentucky, on October 27, 2000; they have two children.
During 2002 and 2003, French served as co-host for the Louisville morning show ''Fox In The Morning'' on WDRB.
In October 2003, French struck and subsequently killed a German bicyclist while driving on a Louisville street. French said that the accident deeply affected her, and she subsequently recounted her story on television shows such as ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''.
French Henry appears in commercials for AAA Kentucky and Dean's Milk.
On December 13, 2006 a California book publishing company filed a lawsuit against Henry, claiming that she did not fulfill her contractual obligations regarding a children's book venture. The lawsuit seeks over $350,000 in damages.

Contents

See also

References

External links

See also

★ List of famous Louisvillians

References

1. Famous Kentuckians
2. Heather French Bio

External links

★ Heather French Foundation for Veterans website

★ News article about lawsuit against Heather French Henry