Cyril Clemens

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Cyril Clemens was a distant cousin of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. He studied at Washington University in St. Louis, earning both a BA and an MA, and went on to devote much of his life to literary work connected with Twain and American letters.

Clemens founded the International Mark Twain Society while still a young man and later edited its journal, often identified as the Mark Twain Quarterly or Mark Twain Journal in archival records. Archives and library collections describe him as a biographer, editor, and energetic collector of correspondence, photographs, and literary memorabilia, especially material linked to Twain.

Over the years, his papers grew into major archival collections, reflecting a wide circle of contacts in literary and public life. Remembered as a persistent promoter of Mark Twain’s reputation, he spent decades turning personal family connection into a public literary mission.