Hon. A. Loftus Roker (25 August 1935 – 13 May 2024) was a Bahamian

Progressive Liberal Party The Progressive Liberal Party (abbreviated PLP) is a populist and social liberal party in the Bahamas. Philip Davis is the leader of the party. History The PLP was founded in 1953 by William Cartwright, Cyril Stevenson, and Henry Milton ...

politician. He was considered a "founding father" of the modern nation. His hard-line approach to

illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...

and

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestion, ...

made him a defining political figure in his era.

Early life and education

Roker was born on 25 August 1935 to Elkin and Dolores Theodora Roker. He attended the local school in Pompey Bay and the Western Senior High School in

New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. On the eastern side of the island is the national capital, national capital city of Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau; it had a population of 246 ...

. Roker graduated with a law degree at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

and was a member of the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

. He was called to the Bar in 1962.

Political career

Roker ran in the

1968 Bahamian general election Early general elections were held in the Bahamas on 10 April 1968. The result was a victory for the Progressive Liberal Party, which won 29 seats. Voter turnout was 85.5%.Colin A. Hughes (1981) ''Race and Politics in the Bahamas'' Results Elec ...

and was elected in the Nicholls Town and Berry Islands Constituency in the House of Assembly of the Bahamas, House of Assembly. Roker served as the Chairman of the Gaming Board and as a member of the Advisory Council to the Ministry of Education between 1968 and 1971. In 1971, Prime Minister, Sir Lynden Pindling appointed him to the post of Ministry of Health (The Bahamas), Minister of Health and Housing. In December 1972, Roker was one of only fifteen in a national delegation that travelled to London to negotiate the terms of the country's independence. In 1985, Roker was appointed Ministry of National Security (The Bahamas), Minister of National Security. In 2023, Pompey Bay High School was renamed in his honour.

Personal life and death

Roker was a devout Anglicanism, Anglican. He considered himself to be a ‘Black nationalism, black nationalist who believed in black leadership'. Roker died in Nassau on 13 May 2024, at the age of 88.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roker, Loftus 1935 births 2024 deaths Progressive Liberal Party politicians 20th-century Bahamian politicians Government ministers of the Bahamas Bahamian Anglicans Members of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas Alumni of the University of London Bahamian lawyers People from Acklins