Linda Bean, an entrepreneur, GOP activist and granddaughter of outdoor retailer LL Bean, has died
Linda L. Bean, a granddaughter of famed outdoor retailer LL Bean who became an entrepreneur, philanthropist and conservative activist, has died at the age of 82.
Bean died on Saturday, her business manager, Veronika Carlson, confirmed in a written statement on Sunday. No reason was given.
“Linda was known for her tremendous work ethic, entrepreneurial spirit and her pride and dedication to her home state of Maine and LLBean, the company her grandfather founded,” the statement said. “Our thoughts go out to her family and friends.”
Bean’s grandfather, Leon Leonwood Bean, founded the company in 1912. It grew on its popular catalog and offered durable products such as rubber-bottomed boots with a lifetime warranty.
Linda Bean served on the company’s board of directors for nearly half a century. She also bought lobster dealers, founded the Perfect Maine Lobster brand in 2007 and owned general stores, inns and vacation homes on Maine’s central coast, where she lived in Port Clyde.
She helped lead efforts to get Maine’s lobster industry certified as sustainable in 2013 by a London-based nonprofit organization, the Marine Stewardship Council — a certification that was revoked in 2022 over concerns about harm to whales.
Her philanthropic efforts include supporting LifeFlight of Maine medical helicopters and the Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, as well as promoting the life of early 20th century illustrator and artist N.C. Wyeth, father of famed painter Andrew Wyeth, and the preservation of the family property.
“Linda Bean loved the state of Maine. The coastal communities, islands and art, especially that of the Wyeths, held a special place in her heart,” Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins said in a written statement on Sunday. “Linda was also a savvy businesswoman who promoted Maine lobster through her restaurants. While waiting for my plane in Portland, I often had a cup of her famous lobster stew at her airport restaurant.
Bean was also a major donor to Republican causes and campaigned unsuccessfully for Congress twice, in 1988 and 1992. She opposed abortion rights, gay rights legislation and gun control, and she believed in tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
She also supported efforts to repeal a Maine law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, and she urged the Defense Department to repeal an Obama-era policy that allowed transgender people to serve in the military. should be undone.
In 2017, the Federal Election Commission said Bean made excessive contributions to a political action committee she funded in support of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. That prompted some liberal groups to call for a boycott of LL Bean — which they described as intimidation by “a small group of hardcore bullies on the left coast, on the west coast, in California, who are trying to control what we do, what we buy. what we sell in Maine.”
Trump came to her defense and urged his supporters to buy the company’s products.
“While her politics did not align with mine, Linda and I found common ground in our mutual love for our home state, for the Maine coast and our working waterfront, for Maine-inspired art and for the perfect Maine lobster roll,” said Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said in a written statement: “I enjoyed her company and admired her business acumen. On behalf of the people of Maine, I extend my deepest condolences to Linda’s family and loved ones and to the entire LLBean community.
Information about survivors was not immediately available.