Council on the grounds that as a secret organisation it could not be organised industrially. In the Parliament of Victoria Trenwith served as Minister for Railways, commissioner for Public Works and vice-president of the Board of Land and Works between November 1900 and February 1901 in the Sir Alexander Peacock ministry, and briefly as Chief Secretary (1901–02). The Government he was part of came under attack in November 1902 from a Trades Hall motion from Chummy Fleming protesting against the reduction of old age pensions from 10/- to 8/-. Federal politics Trenwith was the only elected labour representative at the Federal Constitutional Convention (1897–98), which drafted a constitution for the Federation of the six Australian colonies in 1901. His support of Federation was over the objections of most in the labour movement, 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. Personal life and death 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. References 1846 births 1925 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Australian trade unionists Independent members of the Parliament of Australia Politicians from Launceston, Tasmania Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for Victoria Commonwealth Liberal Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of