It's safe to say that Saddam Hussein was not the mother of all "mother of all" expressions. (After all, it does say he popularized it, not invented it. However, it wasn't obscure before that, either.) Many examples well predate his time:

Ancient Critical Essays Upon English Poets and Poësy, 1811:

The first founder of all good affections is honest loue, as the mother of all the vicious is hatred.

A commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, 1807:

For pride (as Augustine truly saith) is the mother of all heresies

The Elements of a Polite Education, 1800:

It is a saying, that idleness is the mother of all vice.

The expression also exists in other languages.

Latin: Sibyllina oracula ex vete ribus codicibus emendanta, 1689 (emphasis mine):

Chariras etiam eft mater omnium virtutum

It seems to date back even further than that, possibly before English or Latin. Apparently, Aristotle said (translation, obviously):

Courage is the mother of all virtues because without it, you cannot consistently perform the others.

(I'm not sure when he said it, but it was certainly before his death in 322 BC.)

There's also this phrase:

مصر أم الدنيا
(Egypt is the mother of the world)

I don't have an exact date, but it's definitely old:

_{Source: From Pharaoh’s Lips: Ancient Egyptian Language in The Arabic of Today}

We can credit Saddam Hussein for turning the expression into a snowclone.

An article published in the wake of the quote illustrates this well:

What Hussein Gave Us Was The Mother Of All Cliches

It's safe to say that Saddam Hussein was not the mother of all "mother of all" expressions. (After all, it does say he popularized it, not invented it. However, it wasn't obscure before that, either.) Many examples well predate his time:

Ancient Critical Essays Upon English Poets and Poësy, 1811:

The first founder of all good affections is honest loue, as the mother of all the vicious is hatred.

A commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, 1807:

For pride (as Augustine truly saith) is the mother of all heresies

The Elements of a Polite Education, 1800:

It is a saying, that idleness is the mother of all vice.

The expression also exists in other languages.

Latin: Sibyllina oracula ex vete ribus codicibus emendanta, 1689 (emphasis mine):

Chariras etiam eft mater omnium virtutum

It seems to date back even further than that, possibly before English or Latin. Apparently, Aristotle said (translation, obviously):

Courage is the mother of all virtues because without it, you cannot consistently perform the others.

(I'm not sure when he said it, but it was certainly before his death in 322 BC.)

There's also this phrase:

مصر أم الدنيا
(Egypt is the mother of the world)

I don't have an exact date, but it's definitely old:

_{Source: From Pharaoh’s Lips: Ancient Egyptian Language in The Arabic of Today}

We can credit Saddam Hussein for turning the expression into a snowclone.

A Chicago Tribune article published in the wake of the quote illustrates this well:

What Hussein Gave Us Was The Mother Of All Cliches

It's safe to say that Saddam Hussein was not the mother of all "mother of all" expressions. (After all, it does say he popularized it, not invented it. However, it wasn't obscure before that, either.) Many examples well predate his time:

Ancient Critical Essays Upon English Poets and Poësy, 1811:

The first founder of all good affections is honest loue, as the mother of all the vicious is hatred.

A commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, 1807:

For pride (as Augustine truly saith) is the mother of all heresies

The Elements of a Polite Education, 1800:

It is a saying, that idleness is the mother of all vice.

The expression also exists in other languages.

Latin: Sibyllina oracula ex vete ribus codicibus emendanta, 1689 (emphasis mine):

Chariras etiam eft mater omnium virtutum

It seems to date back even further than that, possibly before English or Latin. Apparently, Aristotle said (translation, obviously):

Courage is the mother of all virtues because without it, you cannot consistently perform the others.

(I'm not sure when he said it, but it was certainly before his death in 322 BC.)

There's also this phrase:

مصر أم الدنيا
(Egypt is the mother of the world)

I don't have an exact date, but it's definitely old:

_{Source: From Pharaoh’s Lips: Ancient Egyptian Language in The Arabic of Today}

It's hard to judge how popular the expression was throughout time (or if it was the snowclone it is today), but it appears to be somewhat popular, at least. It was not only used by numerous illustrious figures, it's also part of several proverbs.

It's safe to say that Saddam Hussein was not the mother of all "mother of all" expressions. (After all, it does say he popularized it, not invented it. However, it wasn't obscure before that, either.) Many examples well predate his time:

Ancient Critical Essays Upon English Poets and Poësy, 1811:

The first founder of all good affections is honest loue, as the mother of all the vicious is hatred.

A commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, 1807:

For pride (as Augustine truly saith) is the mother of all heresies

The Elements of a Polite Education, 1800:

It is a saying, that idleness is the mother of all vice.

The expression also exists in other languages.

Latin: Sibyllina oracula ex vete ribus codicibus emendanta, 1689 (emphasis mine):

Chariras etiam eft mater omnium virtutum

It seems to date back even further than that, possibly before English or Latin. Apparently, Aristotle said (translation, obviously):

Courage is the mother of all virtues because without it, you cannot consistently perform the others.

(I'm not sure when he said it, but it was certainly before his death in 322 BC.)

There's also this phrase:

مصر أم الدنيا
(Egypt is the mother of the world)

I don't have an exact date, but it's definitely old:

_{Source: From Pharaoh’s Lips: Ancient Egyptian Language in The Arabic of Today}

We can credit Saddam Hussein for turning the expression into a snowclone.

An article published in the wake of the quote illustrates this well:

What Hussein Gave Us Was The Mother Of All Cliches