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…