Pindling, Sir Lynden Oscar

▪ 2001

      Bahamian politician (b. March 22, 1930, Nassau, Bahamas, British West Indies—d. Aug. 26, 2000, Nassau, Bahamas), served as prime minister of The Bahamas for more than 25 years. He guided the nation from 1967 (when it was still a British colony) through its transition to independence in 1973 and over long years of burgeoning tourism and economic growth (during which he won reelection five times). Pindling's tenure ended when he and the Progressive Liberal Party he had cofounded in 1953 were defeated in the 1992 general elections amid economic decline and unproven accusations of official corruption and of taking bribes from illegal drug traffickers.

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▪ prime minister of The Bahamas

born March 22, 1930, Nassau, Bahamas, British West Indies

died August 26, 2000, Nassau, The Bahamas

      Bahamian politician who, as prime minister (1967–92), guided the Bahamas to independence in 1973 and was considered the country's founding father.

      Pindling studied at the Bahamas Government High School (1943–46) and at King's College, University of London (1948–52), from which he received a law degree. He was called to the British bar in 1953 and soon after returned home to practice law. Later that year he helped found the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), which represented the interests of the black community in the Bahamas. He became party treasurer and was chosen parliamentary leader soon after being elected to parliament in the 1956 general elections. In 1967 he became the Bahamas' first black prime minister and six years later oversaw the country's independence from Britain. Known to his supporters as the “Black Moses,” Pindling steered The Bahamas through long years of burgeoning tourism and economic growth and won reelection five times (1968, 1972, 1977, 1982, and 1987). His tenure ended when he and the PLP were defeated in the 1992 general elections amid economic decline and unproven accusations of official corruption and of taking bribes from illegal drug traffickers. In 1997 he resigned as leader of the opposition and retired from politics. Pindling was knighted in 1983.

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