Clarence E Mathias

Clarence was born on the 12th of December 1876, in Royalton, Pennsylvania, and he enlisted into the US Marine Corps in 1899. He married Mary Doup in 1896 and the couple had one daughter in 1897. When Clarence deployed to China in support of the Boxer Rebellion, he was a Private and it was his actions there that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

In the presence of the enemy during the advance on Tientsin, China, 13 July 1900, Mathias distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.

Clarence received the Medal on the 19th of July 1901, and he remained in the Marine Corps until 1923, reaching the rank of Sergeant Major. He was married a second time, this time to Blanche Brown in 1918, and they had no children. On the 9th of December 1935, just three days before his 59th birthday, Clarence Edward Mathias died at the age of 58. He is buried with his wife in Arlington National Cemetery; Section 6, Grave 8681-SS