The Thomas More Society of America (TMSOA) promotes interest in the life and works of St. Thomas More, who remains ever relevant to contemporary issues of moral, religious, political, and philosophical significance. More, a native of London and son of a high court judge, was an internationally recognized intellectual, immortalized in literature and on stage as “A Man for All Seasons.” His talent and ability prompted a varied career as a lawyer, diplomat, scholar, High Steward of Oxford and Cambridge, Royal Councilor, Speaker of Parliament, and Chancellor of England. But More is perhaps best known for his courageous witness to conscience, for which he was martyred by King Henry VIII. Till the end, More was “the king’s good servant and God’s first.”
The Society was founded as a working group in 1977 and incorporated in 1979 by Howard T. Markey, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals in Washington, D.C. The original incorporators were Joseph Crumlish, John D. Lane, and Thomas H. Wall. Through its forums, programs, and activities, the Society acquaints its members and others with views espoused by More in both his public and private life.
The Society has hosted an impressive list of past speakers, including Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia (1995) and Clarence Thomas (1997); former Speaker of the House John Boehner (2012); Jurists William H. Pryor (2017) and Robert Bork (1985); Catholic intellectuals Michael Novak (1993) and George Weigel (2023, 2002); and Catholic University presidents William Byron, S.J. (1983), Edmund Pellegrino (1996), and John Garvey (2011).
