Paul Bernard Clemens was born on September 4, 1882 in Polk County, Wisconsin. He attended local schools in Superior and received a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard in 1901 as a private and quickly climbed the ranks, being promoted to 1st Lieutenant in 1906 and Captain in 1910. He served along the Mexican border in 1916 and in Europe during World War I with the 32nd Division. His service in the latter earned him a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel as well as the Distinguished Service Medal and the French Legion of Honor and Croix de Guerre.
Following the war, Clemens served as executive officer and regimental commander of the 128th Infantry Regiment in the Wisconsin National Guard. In 1929 he was appointed commander of the 64th Infantry Brigade and promoted to Brigadier General. Still in the service at the beginning of World War II, Clemens remained stateside as the Director of Security and Intelligence for the 7th Service Command. He retired as a Major General in November 1946 following forty-five years of service in the Wisconsin National Guard.
As a civilian during that time, Clemens taught and served as principal at Carpenter School in Superior at the beginning of the twentieth century before moving to Milwaukee in 1922. There, he quickly became the assistant superintendent of Milwaukee schools and continued in that position until retiring in 1953. He also served on the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs. Clemens passed away on October 31, 1960 in Superior, Wisconsin.
