Leon Leonwood Bean
Encyclopedia
Leon Leonwood Bean was an inventor, author
, outdoor enthusiast, and founder of the company L.L.Bean.
, Maine
on November 13, 1872 to Benjamin Warren Bean and Sarah (Swett) Bean.
He had five brothers. Bean's interest in business was shown early, with his first money earned when he was nine years old. He was told he could attend the local fair or sell steel traps to his father, and Bean decided to sell the traps. When Bean was 12 years of age, his parents died only four days apart from each other. He moved to South Paris, Maine
to stay with family. When Bean was 13 years old, he killed and sold his first deer. His education was limited. Bean's schooling outside of public school include only one semester at Hebron Academy
, and a course in business at Kent's Hill Academy. Bean paid for the limited amount of schooling he completed by himself.
and fisherman
. In his outdoor activities he noticed that his boot
s would become soaked with water
. Bean set out to resolve this inconvenience, and developed plans for a waterproof boot. The boot was a combination of lightweight leather for the upper part of the boot and rubber on the bottom He brought the plans to a cobbler, and the first boots were made. Bean felt the boot produced to be of good quality, and obtained a list of non-resident Maine
hunting license
holders and prepared a descriptive mail order
circular. He promised 100% money back for anyone who was unhappy with the boots. Because of this, Bean had to refund 90% of the costs of the first 100 sets of boots made, when the rubber on the bottom developed cracks Bean seemed not to mind returning the money, and the popularity of the boots was clear. In 1911, Bean took out a loan in the amount of $400 and set off to Boston
. In Boston, he offered the United States Rubber Company
the remainder of his $400 to produce a better quality of boot for him. With the better quality boots available, Bean set up a boot shop in his brother's basement
in Freeport, Maine. His skills and trials as an entrepreneur, along with his promise to return 100% money back on all items, were detailed by many local and national newspapers of the time. By 1917, he had sold enough of his boots to buy a dedicated building for his shop on the main street of Freeport. In 1918, Bean realised the importance of patent
ing his invention. As the patent was granted, he moved on to inventing and improving more outdoor equipment and expanding his store to what L.L.Bean is today.
, on February 5, 1967, at the age of 94. He was buried
in Freeport's Webster Cemetery. At the time of his death, the annual sales of his company were in the hundreds of millions. Company policy of giving 100% money back on returned products still applies today.
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. Not to be confused with the first floor, which is one floor up from the ground level.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, outdoor enthusiast, and founder of the company L.L.Bean.
History
Bean was born in the town of GreenwoodGreenwood, Maine
Greenwood is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 802 at the 2000 census. The town was named for surveyor Alexander Greenwood...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
on November 13, 1872 to Benjamin Warren Bean and Sarah (Swett) Bean.
He had five brothers. Bean's interest in business was shown early, with his first money earned when he was nine years old. He was told he could attend the local fair or sell steel traps to his father, and Bean decided to sell the traps. When Bean was 12 years of age, his parents died only four days apart from each other. He moved to South Paris, Maine
South Paris, Maine
South Paris is a census-designated place located within the town of Paris in Oxford County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 2,237 at the 2000 census...
to stay with family. When Bean was 13 years old, he killed and sold his first deer. His education was limited. Bean's schooling outside of public school include only one semester at Hebron Academy
Hebron Academy
Hebron Academy, founded in 1804, is a small, independent, college preparatory boarding and day school for boys and girls in grades six through postgraduate.-History:...
, and a course in business at Kent's Hill Academy. Bean paid for the limited amount of schooling he completed by himself.
Foundation of L.L.Bean
Bean was an avid hunterHunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and fisherman
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. In his outdoor activities he noticed that his boot
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....
s would become soaked with water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. Bean set out to resolve this inconvenience, and developed plans for a waterproof boot. The boot was a combination of lightweight leather for the upper part of the boot and rubber on the bottom He brought the plans to a cobbler, and the first boots were made. Bean felt the boot produced to be of good quality, and obtained a list of non-resident Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
hunting license
Hunting license
A hunting license is a regulatory or legal mechanism to control recreational and sports hunting.Hunting may be regulated informally by "unwritten law", "self restraint", or "morality" and by laws "enforced by government authority."...
holders and prepared a descriptive mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
circular. He promised 100% money back for anyone who was unhappy with the boots. Because of this, Bean had to refund 90% of the costs of the first 100 sets of boots made, when the rubber on the bottom developed cracks Bean seemed not to mind returning the money, and the popularity of the boots was clear. In 1911, Bean took out a loan in the amount of $400 and set off to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In Boston, he offered the United States Rubber Company
United States Rubber Company
The United States Rubber Company was founded in Naugatuck, Connecticut in 1892. It was one of the original 12 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and became Uniroyal Inc...
the remainder of his $400 to produce a better quality of boot for him. With the better quality boots available, Bean set up a boot shop in his brother's basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
in Freeport, Maine. His skills and trials as an entrepreneur, along with his promise to return 100% money back on all items, were detailed by many local and national newspapers of the time. By 1917, he had sold enough of his boots to buy a dedicated building for his shop on the main street of Freeport. In 1918, Bean realised the importance of patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ing his invention. As the patent was granted, he moved on to inventing and improving more outdoor equipment and expanding his store to what L.L.Bean is today.
As an author
Bean published a book in 1942, called Hunting, Fishing and Camping and an autobiography, in 1960, called My Story: the Autobiography of a Down-East Merchant."Death and legacy
Bean died in Pompano Beach, FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, on February 5, 1967, at the age of 94. He was buried
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
in Freeport's Webster Cemetery. At the time of his death, the annual sales of his company were in the hundreds of millions. Company policy of giving 100% money back on returned products still applies today.
Maine Medical Center
Maine Medical Center
Maine Medical Center is a 637 licensed-bed teaching hospital located in Portland, Maine, United States with a staff of over 6,000 people. Founded in 1874, it is the largest hospital in northern New England with 27,000 inpatients, more than 500,000 outpatient visits and over 16,000 surgeries...
has named one of its wings in his honor. In addition, his portrait hangs in a ground-floor corridor at the hospital. Not to be confused with the first floor, which is one floor up from the ground level.
External links
- Leon Leonwood Bean at Find-A-Grave