Clement Studebaker (March 12, 1831 – November 27, 1901) was an American wagon and carriage manufacturer. With his brother Henry, he co-founded the H & C Studebaker Company, precursor of the Studebaker Corporation, which built Pennsylvania-German Conestoga wagons and carriages during his lifetime, and automobiles after his death, in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

Early life

Clement Studebaker was born on March 12, 1831, in

East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...

Adams County, Pennsylvania Adams County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 103,852. Its county seat is Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Gettysbu ...

, to Rebecca (née Mohler) and John Studebaker. He was of

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate (region), Palatina ...

heritage. At a young age, he had learned to work as a blacksmith in his father's shop in

Ashland, Ohio Ashland is a city in Ashland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is approximately 66 miles southwest of Cleveland. The population was 19,225 at the 2020 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan statistical area, wh ...

. At the age of twenty, Studebaker moved to Indiana and taught school in St. Joseph County, Indiana.North American Light and Power Company 1916 - signed by Clement Studebaker
Scripophily.com

Career

In 1851, Studebaker worked at a threshing machine factory. In February 1852, Studebaker and his elder brother Henry Studebaker opened the H. & C. Studebaker blacksmith shop at the corner of Michigan and Jefferson Streets in what is now the heart of downtown

. In 1858, Henry's interest in the business was bought out by a younger brother John Mohler Studebaker. At that time, the brothers were filling wagon orders for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, which they continued throughout the Civil War. As a Dunkard, Henry was a committed pacifist and may have objected to having a part in making war materials. An official Studebaker company history simply says "Henry was tired of the business. He wanted to farm. The risks of expanding were not for him". Studebaker and three other brothers formed Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company. The company was incorporated in 1868 and Studebaker served as president. It would become the largest wagon manufacturer in the world and the only manufacturer of

horse-drawn vehicle A horse-drawn vehicle is a piece of equipment pulled by one or more horses. These vehicles typically have two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have mostly been replaced by auto ...

s to successfully switch to automobiles. Studebaker was a commissioner from Indiana to the Paris Exposition in 1878 and the World Cotton Centennial in New Orleans. He served as president of the board of world fair's managers at Chicago in 1893. Studebaker was a Republican. He was a delegate from the South Bend district to the

1880 Republican National Convention The 1880 Republican National Convention was held from June 2 to June 8, 1880, at the Interstate Exposition Building in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Delegates nominated James A. Garfield of Ohio and Chester A. Arthur of New York (state), N ...

and an at-large state delegate to the

1888 Republican National Convention The 1888 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, on June 19–25, 1888. It resulted in the nomination of former United States Senate, Senator Benjamin Harrison of ...

. President Benjamin Harrison appointed Studebaker to the Pan-American Conference in 1889–1890. He served as a member of the South Bend City Council from 1870 to 1872. Studebaker was a member and served as president of the Carriage Builders' National Association. He was a member of the board of trustees of

DePauw University DePauw University ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1837 as Indiana Asbury College and changed its name to DePauw University in 1884. The college has a Methodist heritage and was ...

. He served as a member and president of the Chautauqua Assembly.

Personal life

Studebaker married Charity Bratt on October 12, 1852, in St. Joseph County, Indiana. The couple had two children, Clems and Eddie, who both died in infancy. His wife died on March 17, 1863, in South Bend. Studebaker married Anna Harper Milburn in September 1864, in South Bend. His wife's father was George Milburn, president of the Milburn Wagon Company. This marriage produced three children: George Milburn Studebaker (1865-1939), Anne Studebaker Carlisle (1868-1931) and Clement Studebaker Jr. (1871-1932). George and Clement Jr. founded the South Bend Watch Company.Studebaker, Clement
at Pennsylvania Center for the Book (

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

) Studebaker was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

and was twice a delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist church. He also went by the name "Clem". In spring of 1900, Studebaker traveled Europe and traveled to

Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; ; ), known locally and simply as Aix, is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern French Departments of France, department of Savoie.Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

and

J. P. Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. As the head of the banking firm that ...

. Studebaker died at his home in South Bend on November 27, 1901. Studebaker was buried at the Studebaker-Milburn Mausoleum at the South Bend City Cemetery. Some of the Studebakers were moved from the City Cemetery and Studebaker was buried at Riverview Cemetery in South Bend.

Legacy

Several months after Studebaker's death in 1901, St. Paul's Memorial United Methodist Church was completed in South Bend. Studebaker had contributed the funds to build the church in memory of his father-in-law, George Milburn. The completed church was dedicated in 1903. In 1911, Studebaker acquired the Everitt-Metzker-Flanders Company of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, later forming the Studebaker Corporation. The late Clement's son, Clement Studebaker Jr., had served on the E-M-F Company's board and at some time had a position on Studebaker's board. in A R Erskine's official history of Studebaker"> in A R Erskine's official history of Studebaker
/ref> By 1916 Clement Studebaker Jr. had also become president and chairman of the utility, North American Light and Power Company. He served in other executive positions as well, including as the president and chairman of the Illinois Power and Light Company (and of its subsidiary, the Illinois Traction Company), as well as treasurer of the Chicago and South Bend Railroad. In 1889, Clement Studebaker completed construction of a mansion on West Washington Street in South Bend and named it Tippecanoe Place (probably in honor of the Family settlement near Tipp City, Ohio). The mansion has been carefully restored and converted to a restaurant.

References

External links

StudebakerHistory.comTippecanoe PlaceSt. Paul's Memorial United Methodist Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Studebaker, Clement 1831 births 1901 deaths People from South Bend, Indiana People from Adams County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Dutch people American founders of automobile manufacturers Foundrymen Studebaker people 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople Methodists from Indiana Indiana Republicans