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[1] and carriages during his lifetime, and automobiles after his death, in South Bend, Indiana.
Early life
Clement Studebaker was born on March 12, 1831, in East Berlin, Adams County, Pennsylvania, to Rebecca (née Mohler) and John Studebaker. He was of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage.[2][3] At a young age, he had learned to work as a blacksmith in his father's shop in Ashland, Ohio. At the age of twenty, Studebaker moved to Indiana and taught school in St. Joseph County, Indiana.[4][5]
Career
In 1851, Studebaker worked at a threshing machine factory.[3][5] 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 South Bend, Indiana.[3][4]
In 1858, Henry's interest in the business was bought out by a younger brother John Mohler Studebaker.[3][6]: p.26 At that time, the brothers were filling wagon orders for the United States Army, which they continued throughout the Civil War.[4] 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".[6]: p.26 Studebaker and three other brothers formed Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company. The company was incorporated in 1868 and Studebaker served as president.[5] It would become the largest wagon manufacturer in the world and the only manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles to successfully switch to automobiles.[citation needed]
Studebaker was a member and served as president of the Carriage Builders' National Association.[5] He was a member of the board of trustees of DePauw University.[5] He served as a member and president of the Chautauqua Assembly.[3]
Personal life
Grave of Studebaker at Riverview Cemetery
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.[7] 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.[5][8]
Studebaker was a Methodist and was twice a delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist church.[5] He also went by the name "Clem".[3]
In spring of 1900, Studebaker traveled Europe and traveled to Aix-les-Bains in southern France under the advice of Andrew Carnegie and J. P. Morgan.[3] Studebaker died at his home in South Bend on November 27, 1901.[8][5][9][10] Studebaker was buried at the Studebaker-Milburn Mausoleum at the South Bend City Cemetery.[3][11] Some of the Studebakers were moved from the City Cemetery and Studebaker was buried at Riverview Cemetery in South Bend.[12][13]
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.[5][citation needed]
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.[4]
In 1889, Clement Studebaker completed construction of a 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2) mansion on West Washington Street in South Bend and named it Tippecanoe Place (probably in honor of the Family settlement near Tipp City, Ohio).[5][12][citation needed] The mansion has been carefully restored and converted to a restaurant.[12]
^ abcLongstreet, Stephen. A Century on Wheels: The Story of Studebaker. New York: Henry Holt and Company. p. 121. 1st edn., 1952.
^According to Conways of IrelandArchived October 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine genealogy. Daughter Clems appears to have been born and died many months before the marriage.
^ abc"Meet Clement Studebaker". The Studebaker National Museum. November 17, 2020. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
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