Livingston Coakley was born April 3, 1925 at Simms' Long Island to Aremina and Amos Coakley.

When the Progressive Liberal Party won the government in 1967, Mr. Coakley was named Chairman of the Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation. From 1969, until his retirement from active politics in June 1987, he served in the Cabinet as Minister of Works, Education, Tourism, Health, and Labour, Youth, Sports and Community Affairs respectively.

His public service began in 1937 when he became a student teacher in the George Town Public School. This was followed by a period as a student at the Agricultural Department, Windsor Farm. During World War II he served in the Bahamas Battalion as a Sergeant and as an Educational Instructor.

Following the war he was an assistant teacher at the Eastern Senior School, the principal of Glinton Public School, assistant manager of Centrauld Limited, an assistant accountant at Sassoon Banking Company, the principal of Prince William High School and an assistant secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

Mr. Coakley joined the Progressive Liberal Party in 1958. Ten years later he was elected a Member of Parliament for George Town and Ragged Island, a seat he held until June 19, 1987.

His academic background includes army and teaching certificates and a Cambridge School Certificate Grade II. He graduated with a B. Sc. in Economics and Accounting from Northeastern University of Miami. He has been given honourary Doctor of Laws and Doctor of Commerce degrees by Northeastern University and Fort Lauderdale College, respectively.
 
 
   
       
   
 

His professional memberships include associate and Licentiate (1 and 3), the College Preceptors; and the International Society of Accountants, Washington. He has fellowship membership in the Society of Professional Teachers, London; the Association of Accountants and Auditors, Nassau.

Mr. Coakley is an advisor to Florida International University, a director of Northeastern University and a board member of the Northeastern University Corporation. A 33rd degree Mason, he is a member of the Kiwanis Club and the Order of Elks.

Mr. Coakley is married to the former Marrietta Armbrister and they have four children.

In 1987 in the Queen's Birthday Honours, he was awarded the C. B. E. - Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

An avid sportsman, Mr. Coakley is keenly interested in tennis and soccer.

The Honourable Livingstone N. Coakley served as The Bahamas' non-resident High Commissioner to five Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean namely Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago between July 1987 and August 1992. The L. N. Coakley High School in Exuma was named in his honour.