Clarence Bement born on April 11, 1843, in Mishawaka, Indiana, was descended from John Bement who was settled in Massachusetts in 1635; another of his ancestors was the Mayflower passenger, Francis Cooke. Clarence Sweet Bement was the son of Emily (Russell) Bement and of William Barnes Bement, the celebrated manufacturer and inventor of machine tools and patron of fine arts.
Early in life Clarence identified himself with his father's business in Philadelphia, and in 1870 he entered the firm which then became William B. Bement & Son. Seventeen years later, the retirement of his father made him the senior partner in the firm and he held that position until August 1899, when the firm of Bement, Miles & Company was merged into the Niles-Bement-Pond Company.
Primarily a businessman for many years, Bement nevertheless had diversified tastes and pursuits. He was prominent among a small group of Americans who found relaxation from their occupations in the pursuit of some branch of art or science. It was to minerals that he devoted the most of his leisure and the greatest care, his interest in this subject beginning when he was still a lad in school. His collection of minerals became the foremost of its class in America, being rated "the finest ever made by a private individual, " and a medal of appreciation was conferred on its owner by the University of Munich. It was purchased by the late Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan for the American Museum of Natural History, New York City. Among its more than 12, 000 treasures, the four hundred specimens of meteorites stand out prominently.
Another pursuit, perhaps the second to find expression, was Bement's search for rare books, which resulted in the formation of one of the most noted private libraries in the country. A portion of this library passed into the hands of Harry Elkins Widener, forming the nucleus of the Widener Library at Harvard University. Bement's interest was not merely acquisitive, however, and he was one of the original founders of, and a silent partner in the Rosenbach Company of Philadelphia and New York, dealers in rare books.
During the latter years of his life he became interested in numismatics. At first this interest extended to both ancient and modern coins, including the American series and paper money. He concentrated later on Greek and Roman coins, of which his collection in time became one of the finest in America. It was sold in Lausanne, Switzerland, in January 1924. He died in 1923.
Clarence Bement was a famous businessman who founded William B. Bement & Son and the Rosenbach Company of Philadelphia and New York. He also was one of the greatest collectors of minerals, books and coins in America. His collection of more than 12000 specimans of minerals was purchased by the American Museum of Natural History, New York City; his collection of books formed the nucleus of the Widener Library at Harvard University.
Clarence Bement was a member of the American Philosophical Society, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Philobiblon Club, the Franklin Institute, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Colonial Society, and the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution.
On December 19, 1871, in Philadelphia, Clarence Bement was married to Martha Shreve Ridgway, by whom he had four children.
