The Richest Person in Maine Probably Has You to Thank For It… If You Shop at L.L. Bean
A new list has surfaced of the wealthiest individuals in each state. In order to qualify each must be worth at least $30 million. In Maine, our top dog is Leon Gorman. He's the the Chairman of L.L. Bean and is worth $860 million dollars. By the way, that only places him, as Maines richest person, 43rd out of the 50 states.
$860 million bucks...that's quite a few bean boots and chamois shirts!
Leon Arthur Gorham was born on December 20, 1934 in Nashua, New Hampshire. According to his bio, he..."was the youngest of three sons born to John T. and Barbara (Bean) Gorman. His father worked as a corporate executive and his mother was the daughter of Leon Leonard Bean (1872-1967). Leon Leonard Bean founded L.L. Bean, Inc. and developed it into a mail-order clothing empire and established a family fortune."
"Gorman began working at the company after three years of Navy destroyer service and a trainee job at Filene's department store. Gorman became president in 1967, after his grandfather Leon Leonwood Bean died. From that time until his presidency ended in 2001, Gorman helped pioneer the company's mail order business and saw an average annual 20% growth rate for the company. In 2001...Gorman decided to take the position of Chairman of the Board."