St Thomas More

I was born on February 7th, 1478 on Milk Street, London, England. My father, Sir John More, was a lawyer and a judge. My mothers name was Angus. I had no brothers or sisters. As a child, I was interested in all of my studies at school especially literature.

When I was young I was placed in the household of John Morton to serve as a page. Being a page, I had to attend to him. This helped me to learn the proper manners and respect for certain people

When I was young I showed evidence of my gifts. As a result of this, a family friend persuaded my father to let me attend Oxford University to enhance my skills in all subjects. When I was older, I studied law at New Inn and Lincolns Inn. I excelled in legal studies here.

At the age of 26, I was elected parliament. When I was 27, I married Jane Colt and we had four children. Jane died when I was 33 leaving me with four young children as I was at the height of my career as a lawyer. One month later, I married again for the sake of the children.

At the age of 32 I began my work as a judge. Throughout my years as a judge, I was active in areas of literature. I decided to write a dialogue. This dialogue was called “Utopia”. This dialogue was published in Latin in 1516 and the translation was published in 1551. It was about my perfect society. Men and Women are alike, all countries share the same language, everyone worked where they pleased, food was equal etc… The dialogue is considered the finest of all my works and it is what I am known for all around the world.

I was commanded Henry VIII’s personal secretary with some administrative and diplomatic responsibilities. I rose gradually over the next few years finally becoming Chancellor in 1529. I was Chancellor for about three years until I retired May 6, 1532. This date was the day after Henry VIII changed the Parliament to take away the traditional