Early Life and Education
Born in Philadelphia, Clemson was the son of Thomas Green Clemson, III and Elizabeth Baker. He is descended from Quaker roots and his mother was Episcopalian. Partly because of this mixed religious background, Clemson's personal religious belief is not well documented. In 1813, his father died, and his father’s second cousin John Gest was appointed guardian over him and his five siblings. Clemson was one beneficiary of his father’s $100,000 life savings, which was split up between him and his five siblings. There is not much known about his home life, but his schooling started in the winter of 1814, as he, as well as the older Clemson’s, attended day school at Tabernacle Presbyterian Church. There is no knowledge as to exactly how long Thomas attended day school, but his next schooling venture began in 1823. From 1823-1825, Clemson was educated at Alden Partridge's Military Academy in Vermont, also known as Norwich University. It is known that Clemson’s older brother, who had recently graduated from Princeton, had sent Thomas a letter outlining the courses and subjects that he should study. He completed those studies sometime in late 1825, but the exact month is not certain. What is known, however, is that he went back to Philadelphia in 1825 and he started studying Mineralogy. Later on, sometime in 1826, Clemson left for Paris, France. His departure date, the ship name, and where exactly he landed in France is unknown, as well as when he returned to Philadelphia.
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