Per ardua ad astra

Does anyone know who coined the phrase "onward and upward" and when it first came in to use?

ONWARD AND UPWARD We must continue to advance, to improve. The Dictionary of Cliches by James Rogers (Wings Books, Originally New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985) credits The Present Crisis by James Russell Lowell for this phrase.
Bartleby.com:
James Russell Lowell. 1819 C1891

128. The Present Crisis

New occasions teach new duties; Time makes ancient good uncouth;
They must upward still, and onward, who would keep abreast of Truth;
Lo, before us gleam her camp-fires! we ourselves must Pilgrims be,
Launch our Mayflower, and steer boldly through the desperate winter sea,
Nor attempt the Future's portal with the Past's blood-rusted key.

The whole poem is online at www.bartleby.com

As a boy growing up in New York State, I was told that the state motto, Excelsior, meant Onward and upward. It probably only means Upward, but I'm happy to think the other.
SS
SS

the RAF motto "per ardua ad astra" - "through hard-work to the stars" is a mite more realistic than 'onwards and upwards'. I'm not convinced that "Excelsior" means 'upward' - I think it was just an advert for the Hotel group...

L