Pindling, Sir Lynden Oscar

Pindling, Sir Lynden Oscar,

1930–2000, prime minister of the Bahamas (1967–92). The son of a policeman, he received a law degree (1952) from London Univ. As leader of the Progressive Liberal party, he represented the large black majority in the Bahamas and became the country's first prime minister of African descent when his party won a close, but surprising, victory (1967); in elections the next year his party won by a solid majority, and its position in power was subsequently reaffirmed. As prime minister, he emphasized public aid to education and the continued attraction of foreign investment, international banking, and tourism. He led his country to independence within the Commonwealth of Nations in 1973. Despite investigations into possible links between Pindling and the drug trade and into bribe-taking allegations during the 1980s, he remained popular for many years. He was knighted in 1983.