A Man for All Seasons

Robert Whittington’s timeless appellation

Congeressman John Lewis, a major figure in the Civil Rights movement and a ceaseless fighter for justice, died Friday, July 17.

On CBS News, Rep Marcia Fudge (Ohio 11) describes Congressman Lewis as “a man for all seasons.” I’m curious where the phrase originated.

It began as a way of describing Thomas More, a juror, philososopher, author (Utopia and other works), and all-round Renaissance man. Robert Whittington (1480–1553), an English grammarian, coined the phrase to encapsulate More’s numerous powerful facets. Whittington’s Vulgaria, published in 1520, pays compliments to Henry VII, Thomas Linacre, and Thomas More, whom Whittington describes as “a man for all seasons.”

Robert Bolt (1924–1995) used the phrase as the title of a play about More, first written as a radio play (1954), teleplay (1957), stageplay (1960), and Oscar-winning film (1966).

Orson Welles as Cardinal Woolsey in A Man for All Seasons.

In Fred Zinnemann’s Oscar-winning film Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) demands the unquestioning loyalty of Thomas More (brilliantly played by Paul Scofield). This theme of loyalty versus morality which resonates with current events.