Clement Studebaker

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.

Early life Clement Studebaker was born on March 12, 1831, in East Berlin, Pennsylvania, to Rebecca (née Mohler) and John Studebaker. He was of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. 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.

Career In 1851, Studebaker worked at a threshing machine factory. At that time, the brothers were filling wagon orders for the United States Army, which they continued throughout the Civil War. 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 was a Methodist and was twice a delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist church. 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.

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.