Born on February 7, 1477, Thomas More was an English lawyer, statesman, author, scholar, dedicated father, early proponent of education for women, and eventually, a saint. Raised in London, he entered the bar around 1501 after studies at Oxford and legal apprenticeship. Politics followed shortly afterwards with his election to Parliament in 1504. He eventually rose to the high office of Chancellor in 1529. More’s strongly held religious convictions brought him into conflict with the king when Henry VIII established the Church of England. More could not bring himself to acknowledge the king as supreme to the Pope, which led to his trial and execution for treason in 1535. He was canonized in 1935 and is the patron saint of a variety of groups, including lawyers.
Douglas Linder, The Trial of Sir Thomas More, Famous Trials, http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/more/more.html (last visited February 3, 2012).
A Man for All Seasons (Highland Films 1966).
More, Sir Thomas, http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0833989.html (last visited February 3, 2012).
