Clement Dowd (1832-1898) was the founder and president of the Merchant's and Farmer's Bank, and the Commercial National Bank.

He married Lydia Josephine Person, a widow with seven children, but they had no children of their own. Clement Dowd died at his North Tryon Street home and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery.He was an author, lawyer, district attorney and Congressman.

Dowd was born in Moore County. He attended local private schools and became a teacher at the age of 17. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1856, was admitted to the Bar in 1859, and began his practice of law in Carthage, NC.

During the Civil War, Dowd served in Company H, 26th NC Regiment as a lieutenant and later a major. In 1866, after the war ended, he and his family moved to Charlotte.

He entered a law partnership with his former military commander, Zebulon Vance. Dowd was elected the city's mayor and served from 1869-71. In 1897, he wrote The Life of Zebulon Baird Vance, a biography of his partner who had served as the state's governor during the Civil War.