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In this context:

  1. A is the successor to B
  2. A is the successor of B

I'm fairly certain that the first one is correct. If so, then how come we say: Mother of God, instead of Mother to God?

However, maybe can it vary on specific choices of A and B?

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Both are 'correct' as both are used. – deutschZuid May 2 '12 at 23:53
I second what James said. Either is fine. – Robusto May 3 '12 at 0:23
That being said, it seems that metonymic concepts such as the Throne or the Chair are idiomatically preceded by successor to, not successor of. Though I could be wrong. – deutschZuid May 3 '12 at 1:34
Do A and B stand for a predecessor or something that's inherited? – Alex B. May 3 '12 at 2:26
Cf. Mother of God, mother of three children etc. vs. "she's like a mother to him." – Alex B. May 3 '12 at 2:28
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closed as not a real question by RegDwighт♦ May 3 '12 at 11:21

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

1 Answer

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I would recommend using successor to when talking about succeeding a person, and successor of when talking about succeeding a position

Dave is the successor to Joe.

Dave is the successor of the chef.

Though both are correct in all situations, I find that I use B's successor combined with an appositive far more often.

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pray why? (filler) – Kris May 3 '12 at 9:35
I was saying as many phrases as possible to myself, and I found "successor of Joe" felt awkward. As far as I know, there's no real difference. – Quasiperfect May 4 '12 at 5:10

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