Leon Leonwood Bean

Leon Leonwood Bean (October 13, 1872 – February 5, 1967) was an American inventor, author, outdoor enthusiast, and founder of the company L.L.Bean.

History

Bean was born in the town of Greenwood, Maine, on October 13, 1872, to Benjamin Warren Bean and Sarah (Swett) Bean, one of six sons. According to a grandson of Leon L. Bean, the latter's middle name may have been originally "Linwood" and accidentally changed to "Leonwood". In the Freeport Town Clerk's Report for the 1898–1899 period, a "Leon Linwood Bean" married a "Bertha Davis Porter" on September 28, 1898.

Bean showed an early interest in business, earning his first money when he was nine years old. He learned that he could either attend the local fair or sell steel traps to his father, so he decided to sell the traps. When Bean was 13 years old, he killed his first deer, and at 14 sold another that he had shot to two unsuccessful hunters. For two years until he was 18, Bean worked on an uncle's farm in West Minot, while attending school at Hebron Academy in the winter. At 18, Bean worked on a farm in East Hebron. At 19, Bean attended a year long business course at Kents Hill School, paying his way by selling soap.

In 1892, Bean worked in a Bangor creamery, followed by a job clerking in an Auburn clothing store. Bean married Bertha Porter (1865-1939) in 1898. They moved to Freeport, her hometown, where he worked in his brother Otho's dry goods and clothing store. They raised three children, Lester Carl "Carlton" (1900–1967), Charles Warren "Warren" (1901–1971), and Barbara (1907–1985), before Bertha died in May 1939, age 73. Lucille Claire "Claire" Boudreau became his second wife in 1941. Company policy of giving 100% money back on returned products applied until February 9, 2018.

Maine Medical Center has named one of its wings in his honor. In addition, his portrait hangs in a ground-floor corridor at the hospital.