Studebaker, Clement

Studebaker, Clement (Clem) (1831–1901) manufacturer; born near Gettysburg, Pa. He helped his father in his small wagon-building shop until 1852, when he and his older brother Henry Studebaker with just $68 and some blacksmith tools, established H & C Studebaker in South Bend, Ind. They put their name on their extremely well-made wagons and received many contracts. In 1868 the company became the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company with Clem as president. In 1870, with three more brothers in the firm, they opened a branch in St. Joseph, Mo., to outfit pioneers headed west, and became the largest horse-drawn carriage company in the world. By 1897 Clem was experimenting with gasoline-powered automobiles, which his company began to manufacture shortly after his death. Active in the Republican Party, he was appointed a delegate to the 1889 Pan American Congress by President Harrison. He was also an active Methodist both with the Chautauqua Association and as a trustee and benefactor of De Pauw University.