Leon Leonwood Bean (October 13, 1872 – February 5, 1967)[1] was an American inventor, author, outdoor enthusiast, and founder of the company L.L.Bean.

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 1898–1899 period, a "Leon Linwood Bean" married a "Bertha Davis Porter" on September 28, 1898.

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 19, Bean attended a year long business course at Kents Hill School, paying his way by selling soap.

They moved to Freeport, her hometown, where he worked in his brother Otho's dry goods and clothing store.

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.

In 1911, he took out a loan in the amount of US$400 and set off to Boston, where he offered the United States Rubber Company the remainder of his US$400 to produce a better quality boot for him.

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.

"[7]: 18–23 During World War II, Bean served as a consultant for the U.S. Army and Navy, while his company manufactured a version of the Maine Hunting Shoe for military use.