Linda L Bean, LL Bean heir who backed Trump, dies aged 82

Linda L Bean – a granddaughter of famed outdoor retailer LL Bean who became an entrepreneur, philanthropist and Republican activist – has died. She was 82.

Bean died Saturday, her business manager, Veronika Carlson, confirmed in a written statement Sunday. No cause was given.

Her support for Donald Trump when he won the presidency in 2016 prompted some on the political left to call for a boycott of her family’s clothing company. But a statement from Carlson said Bean also “was known for her amazing work ethic, entrepreneurial spirit as well as her pride and dedication to her home state of Maine and LL Bean, the company her grandfather founded”.

“Our hearts go out to her family and friends,” Carlson’s statement said.

Bean’s grandfather, Leon Leonwood Bean, founded the company in 1912. It grew through its popular catalogue, offering durable products such as rubber-bottomed boots that came with a lifetime guarantee.

Linda Bean served on the company’s board for nearly half a century. She also bought lobster dealerships, founded the Perfect Maine Lobster brand in 2007, and owned general stores, inns and vacation rentals on Maine’s central coast, where she lived in Port Clyde.

She helped lead the effort to have Maine’s lobster industry certified as sustainable in 2013 by a London-based nonprofit, the Marine Stewardship Council – a certification that was pulled in 2022 over concern about harm to whales.

Her philanthropic efforts included supporting LifeFlight of Maine medical helicopters and the Maine Botanical Gardens at Boothbay, as well as promoting the life of early 20th century illustrator and artist NC Wyeth – the father of the famous painter Andrew Wyeth – and preserving the family’s properties.

“Linda Bean loved the state of