Bean, L. L.

Bean, L. L. (Leon Lenwood)

(1872–1967) outdoor clothing and equipment retailer; born in Greenwood, Maine. A Maine trapper in his youth, he launched a thriving mail-order and retail business in Freeport, Maine, after inventing his rubber-soled Maine Hunting Shoe (1912). Incorporated as L. L. Bean (1934), the company became known for the quality and practicality of its outdoor products, which attracted an international clientele.