Leon Arthur Gorman (December 20, 1934 – September 3, 2015) was an American businessman and the
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
and
chairman of the board for the clothing and outdoor recreation equipment company
L.L. Bean.
Career
Gorman was born in
Nashua, New Hampshire, in 1934.
A graduate of
Bowdoin College, Gorman began working at the company after three years of Navy destroyer service and a trainee job at
Filene's
Filene's (formally William Filene & Sons Co.) was an American department store chain; it was founded by William Filene in 1881. The success of the original full-line store in Boston, Massachusetts, was supplemented by the foundation of its off-p ...
department store. Gorman became president in 1967, after his grandfather
Leon Leonwood Bean
Leon Leonwood Bean (October 13, 1872 – February 5, 1967) was an American inventor, author, outdoor enthusiast, and founder of the company L.L.Bean.
History
Bean was born in the town of Greenwood, Maine, on October 13, 1872, to Benjamin W ...
died. From that time until his presidency ended in 2001, Gorman helped pioneer the company's
mail order
Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as:
* Sending an order form in the mail
* Placing a telephone call
* Placing ...
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, leaving the position of CEO to
Christopher McCormick Christopher McCormick (born in Bridgeport, Connecticut) is the former chief executive officer of L.L.Bean, a mail-order, online and retail company based in Freeport, Maine.
Early life
Chris McCormick graduated from Fairfield University Dolan Sch ...
, the first non-family member to assume the title, and in 2013, he became Chairman Emeritus when his nephew, Shawn Gorman, succeeded him as chairman.
Personal
Gorman was an active philanthropist, having made significant contributions in the public education sector. He was nominated trustee emeritus for Bowdoin College in 2002. In 2010 he was bestowed with the Bowdoin prize, an award given out every five years to the alumnus who has made the greatest contribution to the world.
Having had a reported net worth of $860 million, as of 2012, and again in 2014, he was the wealthiest person living in the state of Maine.
Gorman was an avid hiker and outdoorsmen. Gorman organized an annual camping trip with the companies' top executives, often hiking on rough terrain like the
Presidential mountains.
Death
Gorman died of cancer in
Yarmouth, Maine
Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, twelve miles north of the state's largest city, Portland. When originally settled in 1636, as North Yarmouth, it was part of Massachusetts, and remained as such for 213 years. In 18 ...
, on September 3, 2015, aged 80.
To honor his memory, L.L. Bean's flagship store closed for the first time since 1967.
L.L.Bean
L.L.Bean is an American privately-held retail company that was founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean. The company, headquartered in the place in which it was founded, in Freeport, Maine, specializes in clothing and outdoor recreation equipment. ...
announced a $125,000 donation to a new scholarship fund upon his death, representing about 2.5 years of tuition at his alma mater,
Bowdoin College.
Books
*
Notes
External links
Leon Gorman profile at Babson College
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorman, Leon
2015 deaths
1934 births
American businesspeople in retailing
Bowdoin College alumni
Businesspeople from Maine
Deaths from cancer in Maine
People from Nashua, New Hampshire
20th-century American businesspeople
21st-century American businesspeople