# Quote: "Now he belongs to the ages." Was Lincoln the first?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-now-he-belongs-to-the-ages-was-lincoln-the-first/250023>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 12, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-now-he-belongs-to-the-ages-was-lincoln-the-first/250023 "2004-06-12T21:45:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-now-he-belongs-to-the-ages-was-lincoln-the-first/250023/1 "2004-06-12T21:45:32Z")

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“Now he belongs to the ages.”

The line was famously stated upon the death of Lincoln, if I’m not mistaken. It’s been repeated for lesser mortals ever since (including once to comic effect in the musical Funny Girl) up to this week’s funeral oration by President Geo. Bush for the late President Reagan.

A few questions:

Who said it about Lincoln?

Was the assasinated president, in fact, the _first_ ever subject of the remark? ?

If Lincoln _not_ the first subject, who was?

And who said it about that person?

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-now-he-belongs-to-the-ages-was-lincoln-the-first/250023/2 "2004-06-12T23:37:38Z")

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My _Oxford Dic. of Quotations_ says that it was uttered by Edwin McMasters Stanton, American lawyer and Secretary of War under Lincoln. That was cited in Tarbell’s _Life of Abraham Lincoln_ which was published in 1900.