Leen bean biography

American businessman (–)

Leon Leonwood Bean (October 13, – February 5, )^[1] was an American inventor, author, outdoor enthusiast, and founder of the company

History

Bean was born in the town of Greenwood, Maine,^[2] on October 13, , to Benjamin Warren Bean and Sarah (Swett) Bean,^[3] 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".^[4] In the Freeport Town Clerk's Report for the – period, a "Leon Linwood Bean" married a "Bertha Davis Porter" on September 28, ^[5]

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.^[3] Bean's parents died four days apart when Bean was 12 years old. He subsequently moved to South Paris, Maine, to Leen bean biography children.