Уильям Артур Тренвит: Австралия еңбек қозғалысының қайраткері

Australian politician

William Arthur Trenwith (15 July 1846 – 26 July 1925) was an Australian labour movement politician and pioneer trade union official who served as the 1st leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (Labour Party) from 1892 to 1900. He also served as Senator for Victoria from 1904 to 1910.

Born to convict parents at Launceston, Tasmania, he followed his father's trade as a bootmaker. Largely unschooled, barely literate, and with poor eyesight, Trenwith had a gift for oratory and public speaking which was to assist him in union organising and later as a politician. He was involved during the late 1870s with the National Reform League where he agitated for protective tariffs, a land tax, and reform of the Victorian Legislative Council.

After a number of attempts at nomination, Trenwith was elected in May 1889 for the seat of Richmond (1889–1903) to the Victorian Legislative Assembly on a labour platform and sought reforms in education, unemployment and tariff protection. He was the lone labour representative in the Victorian Parliament until the following election in April 1892 when 13 labour aligned candidates were elected. During 1892 Trenwith was elected leader of the Victorian Labour Party but continued to have problems at the grassroots with strong opposition from public meetings chaired by Chummy Fleming. During the 1892 maritime strike he argued strongly for compulsory arbitration over direct action, and served to ameliorate accusations of the Age that the Federation Bill had been "wholly shaped in a conservative direction". From 1903 to 1910 Trenwith served as an Independent Senator for Victoria. His withdrawal of support for the Federal Labor government of Andrew Fisher resulted in his defeat at the following election and retirement from federal politics. He attempted to return to Victorian state politics at the 1911 Victorian state election, unsuccessfully contesting the seat of Gippsland North on behalf of the People's Party against the sitting Labor MLA James McLachlan. Of "commanding intellect" (F. W. Eggleston), and often wearing a silk top hat, his undeniably significant career in labour politics seems to have been a stage in a journey which left his origins far behind him.

Trenwith was married three times. His first marriage was to Susannah Page on 2 November 1868 and they had four children, a daughter and three sons. Susannah died in 1896. His second marriage was to Elizabeth Bright on 7 April 1896 and they would have three children, a daughter and two sons. Elizabeth died in 1923. His third marriage was to Helen Florence Sinclair on 1 October 1924. Trenwith died in Melbourne on 26 July 1925, aged 79, survived by his third wife and his seven children.