Born in Nantou County, Taiwan, Lin graduated from National Taiwan University with a bachelor of science degree. He was:
He resigned his position as the head of the Judicial Yuan to become a presidential candidate in the 1996 elections. Since the Kuomintang did not nominate him, Lin ran as an independent. Though he originally considered Chen Li-an as his vice presidential running mate, but ran with former Premier Hau Pei-tsun. They finished third with 14.9% of the vote.
Lin is married to Chen Ho (陳閤) with one son and 3 daughters.
See also: Politics of Taiwan