and a member of the board until 1904. He was always an active office holder in the association, expanding its membership and branches in the 1880s, and leading it into an increasingly public role in the 1890s, especially in area of Federation. Peacock’s high profile within the Australian Natives Association assisted his parliamentary career. As a benefit society the ANA was banned from undertaking party political activity, but in the late 1880s and the 1890s ANA members formed the backbone of the organisations supporting Liberal candidates in the electorates. Peacock learnt his brand of ‘advanced Liberalism’ in ANA lectures and debates: a commitment to full democracy, including woman suffrage, and to active state intervention in the interests of public welfare. Beatrice Webb described him as having neither ‘intellectual conviction nor intellectual prejudices’, but ‘ready to try any plausible remedy for actual suffering’. Mason Peacock served as Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Victoria (Masonic Lodge or Freemasons) from 1900–1905. At age 39 he was the youngest person ever to obtain that position in Australian Freemasonry, before or since. He pleaded heavy parliamentary commitments when he retired as Grand Master in 1905. References Further reading Geoff Browne, A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1900-84, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1985 Don Garden, Victoria: A History, Thomas Nelson, Melbourne, 1984 Kathleen Thompson and Geoffrey Serle, A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1856-1900, Australian National University Press, Canberra, 1972 Raymond Wright, A People's Counsel. A History of the Parliament of Victoria, 1856-1990, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1992 |- |- 1861 births 1933 deaths Premiers of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Treasurers of Victoria Speakers of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Australian Freemasons Masonic Grand Masters People from Creswick, Victoria Australian people of Scottish descent