Biography
Clement Studebaker was born in Pinetown, Pennsylvania and was Pennsylvania Dutch in ethnicity. By the age of 14 he had learned to work as a blacksmith in his father's shop. He later worked as a teacher. In 1852, Clement 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 South Bend, Indiana.
Clement 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. Charity died on March 17, 1863 in South Bend. Clement married Anna Harper Milburn in September 1864, in South Bend. 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. Clement, Sr. died of natural causes in his South Bend, Indiana home at the age of 70.
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 U.S. Army, 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". Clement and three other brothers went on to develop the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company into the largest wagon manufacturer in the world and the only manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles to successfully switch to automobiles.
He died on November 27, 1901.
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