Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-08-25
COMMANDER OF PENNSYLVANIA
DIVISION OF NATIONAL GUARD
Major General Charles M Clement Typical Soldier OF
American Army and Remarkable Military
Genius, With Forty Years of Service

Sunbury, Pa, Aug. 25.-Major
General Charles NJ. Clement, COM
mander of the Twenty eighth Divis-
Ion, Pennsylvania National Guard of
the United States, who is now at
Camp Hancock. Ca, directing the
movements of the State troops at
that cantonment, Is one of the few
men who have risen from the ranks
to the highest military honor within
the gift of his Commonwealth.
Besides being the big man of the
states unit in the National Army,
General Clement Is big in other ways.
he stands six feet tall in his stock
ing feet weights 1914 pounds and
mas the carriage and appearance of
the true soldier. He gets his love of
soldiers life from his father. Gen
eral John Kay Clement, and a long
line of fighting ancestors, whose
deeds of valor date back to Colonial
days. In 1877 Charlie" Clement,
then young lawyer. wanted COM
pany of the National Guard of Penn
sylvania in Sunbury. Others wens
interested, and before the borough
got through rubbing its eyes, Com
pany E, of the famous old Twelfth
regiment was organized. Clement
enlisted as private. He was atten-
tive to duty, studious of military tao
all or the noncommissioned offices
to first lieutenant. Then came a va
cancy in the captaincy. Clement was
chosen. His boys liked him. for he
was just and generous. This was in
1852, and they liked him so we'll that
they twice reelected him, in 1887
and 1892.
Military genius and popularity re-
suited in his being advanced to the
field of the Twelfth Regiment as a
major. During 1898 he was chosen
lieutenant colonel and volunteered
for service in the Spanish
war. He was mustered out of the
national service on October 81, 1898.
The next year he was chosen colonel
of the Twelfth Infantry and was re-
elected in 1904 and 1909. On March
29, 1910, Colonel Clement was ap-
pointed brigadier general and was
assigned to the Third Brigade. From
this he was appointed division COM
mander December %, 1915, with
rank of major general, thus rising
from the ranks to the highest mill
tary honor in the state.
In politics General Clement is a
Republican. He was a school di-
rector, member of council. assistant
burgess, party charm of Northum-
berland county and attorney for the
poor, borough and school districts.
He held an appointment as corpo-
ration clerk in the State Department
at Harrisburg and was later made
Deputy Secretary of the Common
wealth under Governor Beaver.
The general is deputy grand COM
mander, Knights Templar, for the
state of Pennsylvania, and for twenty
two years has served as secretary of
the Diocese of Harrisburg of the
Episcopal Church. He is a member
of the Society of Sons of the Revo-
luton, the Society of the War of
1912, Society of Foreign Wars and
of the Naval and Military Order of
the Spanish American War. Locally
he is member of the Northumber-
land County Bar Association, the
Sons of Veterans, past commander
and charter member of Mount Heron
Commandery. No. S5, knights Tenn
plar; Maclay Lodge, No. 632, Free
and Accepted Masons. Northumber-
land Royal Arch Chapter, No. 174,
of the Masons; a hirty-second- de
eree member of Caldwell Consistory,
of Bloomsbury, and of Zembo Tenn
pie, Mobiles of the Mystic Shrine, of
Harrisburg.
Three of his four sons are in the