His dates were 1478–1535. He was born in London, the son of Sir John More, a distinguished judge. His early education came at St. Anthony's School, the same school which had trained John Colet and William Latimer, two of the group of prominent "Oxford reformers" who later became close friends of More. An important chapter in More's early life was his period of residence in the home of John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury. More studied at Canterbury College, Oxford, then entered New Inn, London, and later Lincoln's Inn for legal training. In his early years he deliberated between a career in law or in the church; although he decided in favor of the law, he retained strong religious feelings all his life, as manifested by his wearing a penitential hair shirt, but even more by his high principles and the nobility of his actions.
Early in his career More was invited by William Grocyn, a prominent teacher of Greek and the new humanism, to deliver a series of lectures on St. Augustine's City of God. His interest in the City of God has a bearing on his Utopia, as will be seen later.
More early became a highly successful lawyer. He was elected to Parliament in 1504 and became Under-Sheriff of London in 1510. In 1515, he was appointed to a commission sent to Bruges to negotiate with representatives of the Holy Roman Empire for trade agreements. It was at this point in his career that he began work on Utopia.
Soon after his return from the Netherlands, he was persuaded to enter government service permanently, and his rise to prominence was rapid. In 1518 he was appointed to the Privy Council (the king's cabinet), and he was knighted in 1521.
