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Ingersoll moved at the centre of Gilded Age intellectual life. The people he knew, the people he admired, and the people who admired him.
1809–1865
Political Hero & Intellectual Inspiration
Ingersoll revered Lincoln deeply, though they never met in person. After the war, Ingersoll delivered some of his most moving orations praising Lincoln's emancipation of the enslaved and his…
“Abraham Lincoln, so far as I know, was the greatest man who ever wore the human form.”
1835–1910
Close Friend & Fellow Freethinker
Twain and Ingersoll were great mutual admirers and personal friends. Both shared a sardonic wit, a deep skepticism of religious orthodoxy, and a passionate belief in human dignity. Twain called…
“The most brilliant speaker I ever heard, he could do more with words than any man I ever met.”
1819–1892
Poet & Admirer
Walt Whitman held Ingersoll in the highest esteem, calling him one of the greatest Americans of the age. Ingersoll defended Whitman's 'Leaves of Grass' at a time when it was widely condemned as…
“Ingersoll has given me my best word from the outside world. I have been waiting for it.”
1818–1895
Fellow Champion of Human Liberty
Ingersoll and Douglass shared a profound commitment to human liberty, equality, and the abolition of slavery. They appeared together on the lecture circuit and were mutual admirers. Ingersoll, a…
“I have heard Ingersoll, and his is the most magnificent voice, the most wonderful eloquence.”
1820–1906
Ally in the Cause of Women's Rights
Ingersoll was an early and outspoken champion of women's suffrage and women's rights. He argued passionately that women deserved full equality before the law and in public life. Susan B. Anthony…
“I believe in the equality of woman with man. I believe in the liberty of woman as I believe in the liberty of man.”
1815–1902
Friend & Fellow Freethinker
Ingersoll and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were close allies. Stanton shared Ingersoll's deep skepticism of orthodox religion, which she believed was a primary tool of women's oppression. Her later work…
1822–1885
Close Personal Friend
Ingersoll and President Grant were close personal friends. Ingersoll was a loyal Republican and a staunch defender of Grant's character when political enemies attacked him. When Grant lay dying of…
“In the great night of death, the music of the future will not be heard.”
1847–1931
Admirer & Fellow Rationalist
Thomas Edison deeply admired Ingersoll, calling him the greatest orator he had ever heard and one of the most intellectually honest men of the age. Both men shared a belief in human reason, science…
“Ingersoll had the greatest mind I ever encountered in the form of man.”
1835–1919
Friend & Patron
The steel magnate Andrew Carnegie was an admirer and friend of Ingersoll. Both were self-made men who believed in reason over religion and the power of education. Carnegie's philosophy of giving…
1809–1882
Intellectual Hero
Though Ingersoll never met Darwin personally, he was one of the most passionate American advocates for Darwin's theory of evolution. Ingersoll saw natural selection as the scientific key that…
“Charles Darwin, who without religion made, in a few years, more progress for the welfare of mankind than all the priests since the beginning of the world.”
1737–1809
Greatest Intellectual Hero
Thomas Paine was Ingersoll's greatest intellectual hero and inspiration. Ingersoll delivered his famous oration 'Thomas Paine' in 1870, rescuing Paine's reputation from decades of slander by…
“Thomas Paine had more brains in his body than all his detractors put together.”
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Wife & Life Partner
Eva Parker Ingersoll was the center of Robert's world. In an era when women were legally subservient to their husbands, Ingersoll treated Eva as his full equal and partner. He refused to include the…
“She is the finest woman I have ever known, and I include myself in that statement.”
1694–1778
Enlightenment Hero
Voltaire was one of the great intellectual ancestors Ingersoll claimed. Ingersoll saw himself as carrying forward the Enlightenment tradition: attacking superstition with wit, reason, and courage. He…
“Voltaire, the greatest man of his time, laughed at the Church and struck it dead with a smile.”