Clemens Vonnegut Sr. (November 20, 1824 – December 13, 1906) was a German emigrant to the United States and successful businessman.

Instead of continuing his university education to Ph.D. level, he decided to work as a salesman for a textile firm in Amsterdam.

[1] He married Katarina Blank in 1852 and moved to a modest house on West Market Street, Indianapolis.

"He greatly admired Benjamin Franklin, whom he called an American saint, and named his third son after him...." He died aged 82 on December 13, 1906, in Indianapolis.

[2] The family name is derived from a distant forebear who had an estate ("ein Gut" in German) on the river Funne, hence the surname Funnegut.