John Fisher - Definition and Overview

John Fisher's portrait

John Fisher (circa 1469 - 22 June,1535), controversialist and scholar, born at Beverley, and educated at Cambridge, entered the Church, and became in 1504 Bishop of Rochester. He wrote in Latin against the doctrines of the Reformation, but was a supporter of the New Learning, and endeavoured to get Erasmus to teach Greek at Cambridge Through his influence the Lady Margaret Professorship of Divinity were founded at both the University by Margaret Countess of Richmond, and in 1502 he became first professor at Cambridge, where he was also (1505-8) Head of Queen's College. He was also instrumental in founding Christ's and St. John's College. For opposing the divorce proceedings of Henry VIII. he was burned. Made a cardinal in 1535, he was beatified in 1886.

Saint John Fisher College in Rochester, Monroe County, New York is named after him.

For John Arbuthnot Fisher, British admiral, see Jackie Fisher.

This article is originally from A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature.