View source for David Trimble

{{Short description|First Minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2002 (1944–2022)}}
{{For|the American politician|David Trimble (congressman)}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name             = The Lord Trimble
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|PC}}
| image            = Official portrait of Lord Trimble (3x4 cropped).jpg
| imagesize        =
| alt              =
| caption          = Official portrait, 2018 
<!-- Do NOT remove the spaces between offices in the infobox as they make the code more readable and removing them has no visual impact for the reader -->

| office1          = [[First Minister of Northern Ireland]]
| monarch1          = [[Queen Elizabeth II]]|
| term_start1      = 1 July 1998
| term_end1        = 14 October 2002{{ref label|ch|a|}}
| alongside1       = {{enum|[[Seamus Mallon]]|[[Mark Durkan]]}}
| predecessor1     = ''[[Good Friday Agreement|Office established]]''
| successor1       = [[John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan|John Reid]]{{ref label|ch|b}}{{small|''(as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland)''}}<br />[[Ian Paisley]] (2007)
| office2          = 12th [[Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party]]
| deputy2          = {{ubl|[[John Taylor, Baron Kilclooney|John Taylor]] | [[Reg Empey]]}}
| term_start2      = 8 September 1995
| term_end2        = 24 June 2005
| predecessor2     = [[James Molyneaux]]
| successor2       = [[Reg Empey]]
| office3          = [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)|Member of the Legislative Assembly]]<br />for [[Upper Bann (Assembly constituency)|Upper Bann]]
| term_start3      = 25 June 1998
| term_end3        = 7 March 2007
| predecessor3     = ''Constituency established''
| successor3       = [[George Savage (politician)|George Savage]]

| office4          = [[Member of the House of Lords]]
| status4          = [[Lords Temporal|Lord Temporal]]
| term_label4      = [[Life peer]]age
| term_start4      = 2 June 2006
| term_end4        = 25 July 2022

| parliament5      = United Kingdom
| constituency_MP5 = [[Upper Bann (UK Parliament constituency)|Upper Bann]]
| term_start5      = 17 May 1990
| term_end5        = 11 April 2005
| predecessor5     = [[Harold McCusker]]
| successor5       = [[David Simpson (Northern Ireland politician)|David Simpson]]

| office6         = [[Northern Ireland Forum|Northern Ireland Forum Member]] <br/> for [[Upper Bann (Assembly constituency)|Upper Bann]]
| term_start6    = 30 May 1996
| term_end6      = 25 April 1998
| predecessor6   = ''Forum created''
| successor6     = ''Forum dissolved''

| birth_name       = William David Trimble
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1944|10|15|df=yes}}
| birth_place      = [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland 
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|2022|7|25|1944|10|15|df=yes}}
| death_place      = Belfast, Northern Ireland
| party            = {{ubl|[[Ulster Unionist Party|Ulster Unionist]] ({{hlist|class=inline|before 1973|1978–2007|item2_style=white-space:nowrap;}})|[[Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party|Ulster Vanguard]] (1973–1978)|[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] (from 2007)}}
| alma_mater       = [[Queen's University Belfast]] ([[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]])
| profession       = {{Hlist|Barrister|lecturer}}
| awards = [[Nobel Peace Prize]] (1998)
| spouse           = {{Plainlist|
* {{marriage|Heather McComb|1968|1976|end=div.}}
* {{marriage|[[Daphne Trimble|Daphne Orr]]|1978}}}}
| children         = 4
| website          = {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20160207043926/http://davidtrimble.org/}}
| footnotes        = a. {{note|ch||[[Reg Empey]] served as Acting First Minister from 1 July to 6 November 2001.}} <br /> b. {{note|ch||During the periods of suspension of the [[Northern Ireland Executive]], the [[Secretary of State for Northern Ireland|Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland]] assumed the responsibilities of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. At the time of suspension the Northern Ireland Secretary was John Reid.}}
| module           = {{Listen|embed = yes|filename=David Trimble BBC Radio4 Great Lives 14 August 2007 b007vzrt.flac |title=Trimble's voice |type=speech |description=from the BBC programme ''[[Great Lives]]'', 14 August 2007<ref name="BBC-b007vzrt">{{Cite episode |title=Elvis Presley |series=Great Lives |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007vzrt |station= BBC Radio 4 |date=14 August 2007 |archive-date= 30 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230234913/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007vzrt |url-status=live |access-date= 18 June 2014}}</ref>}}
}}

'''William David Trimble, Baron Trimble''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|PC}} (15 October 1944 – 25 July 2022) was a Northern Irish statesman and politician who was the inaugural [[First Minister of Northern Ireland]] from 1998 to 2002 and leader of the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP) from 1995 to 2005.<ref name="britannica1">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/605370/David-Trimble |title=David Trimble (British politician) |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |date=15 October 1944 |access-date=29 June 2010 |archive-date=18 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318003603/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/605370/David-Trimble |url-status=live }}</ref> He was also [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Upper Bann (UK Parliament constituency)|Upper Bann]] from [[1990 Upper Bann by-election|1990]] to [[2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland|2005]] and [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)|Member of the Legislative Assembly]] (MLA) for [[Upper Bann (Assembly constituency)|Upper Bann]] from 1998 to [[2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2007]].

Trimble began his career teaching law at [[The Queen's University of Belfast]] in the 1970s, during which time he began to get involved with the paramilitary-linked [[Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party]] (VPUP). He was elected to the [[Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention]] in 1975 and joined the UUP in 1978 after the VPUP disbanded.<ref name="britannica1"/> Remaining at Queen's University, he continued his academic career until being elected as the MP for Upper Bann in 1990. In 1995 he was unexpectedly elected as the leader of the UUP.<ref name="britannica1"/> He was instrumental in the negotiations that led to the [[Good Friday Agreement]] in 1998 and (along with [[John Hume]]) won the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] that year for his efforts. He was later elected to become the first First Minister of Northern Ireland, although his tenure was turbulent and frequently interrupted by disagreements over the timetable for [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] decommissioning.

Trimble resigned the leadership of the UUP soon after being defeated at the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 general election]]. In June 2006, he accepted a [[life peer]]age in the [[House of Lords]], taking the title of ''Baron Trimble'', ''of [[Lisnagarvey]] in the County of [[County Antrim|Antrim]]''.<ref name=Gazette>{{London Gazette|issue=58004|page=7793|date=7 June 2006}}</ref> He did not stand again for the Assembly, which finally reconvened in 2007, instead leaving the UUP to join the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]].<ref name="conservatives">{{cite press release|title=Statement by the Rt. Hon. The Lord Trimble, Tuesday, 17 April 2007 |work=Official website |publisher=David Trimble|date=17 April 2007 |url=http://www.davidtrimble.org/latestnews_joinstories.htm |access-date=17 April 2007 |quote=Consequently I have decided to join the Conservatives. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703082821/http://www.davidtrimble.org/latestnews_joinstories.htm |archive-date=3 July 2007 }}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Trimble was born in [[Belfast]] on 15 October 1944.<ref name="NYT obit"/><ref name=AP>{{cite news|title=David Trimble, architect of N Ireland peace deal, dies at 77|url=https://apnews.com/article/obituaries-ireland-dublin-northern-2e9f9fe25ed7d50f222e4fc8add60a0e|first1=Sylvia|last1=Hui|first2=Jill|last2=Lawless|date=25 July 2022|access-date=25 July 2022|work=Associated Press|archive-date=25 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725194207/https://apnews.com/article/obituaries-ireland-dublin-northern-2e9f9fe25ed7d50f222e4fc8add60a0e|url-status=live}}</ref> He was the son of William and Ivy Trimble, lower-middle class [[Presbyterian]]s who lived in [[Bangor, County Down]].<ref name="google4">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ny77bPwKxaUC&pg=PA323 |title=The Nobel Peace Prize and the ... |access-date=29 June 2010 |isbn=9780881353884 |last1=Abrams |first1=Irwin |year=2001 |publisher=Science History Publications/USA |archive-date=5 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105071452/https://books.google.com/books?id=ny77bPwKxaUC&pg=PA323 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="google1">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s21VHD28o0EC&q=%22william+david+trimble%22 |title=Newsmakers |access-date=28 June 2010 |isbn=9780787621124 |year=2000 |author1=Newsmakers |publisher=Gale Research |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831111409/https://books.google.com/books?id=s21VHD28o0EC&q=%22william+david+trimble%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> He attended [[Bangor Grammar School]] from 1956 to 1963.<ref name="tmcentertainment1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.tmcentertainment.co.uk/speaker-index.html?speakerid=260&speakertypeid=6 |title=The Rt. Hon. Lord David Trimble |publisher=TMC Entertainment |access-date=30 June 2010 |archive-date=18 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162324/http://www.tmcentertainment.co.uk/speaker-index.html?speakerid=260&speakertypeid=6 |url-status=live }}</ref> He then studied at [[Queen's University of Belfast]] (QUB) from 1964 to 1968, where he was awarded the McKane Medal for Jurisprudence.<ref name="tmcentertainment1"/> He received a [[First Class Honours (degree)|first class honours degree]] (the first at Queen's in three years), becoming a [[Bachelor of Laws]] (LL.B).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yaGIAAAAMAAJ&q=%22william+david+trimble%22 |title=Dod's parliamentary companion |date=16 October 2008 |access-date=28 June 2010 |last1=Dod |first1=Charles Roger |last2=Dod |first2=Robert Phipps |publisher=Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Limited |isbn=9780905702360 |archive-date=29 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829060915/https://books.google.com/books?id=yaGIAAAAMAAJ&q=%22william+david+trimble%22 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="warwicklawsociety2004">{{Cite web |url=http://www.warwicklawsociety.com/obiter_dicta/obiterdicta_v4_2_2003-2004.pdf |title=Obiter Dicta |date=Spring 2004 |access-date=30 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308181855/http://www.warwicklawsociety.com/obiter_dicta/obiterdicta_v4_2_2003-2004.pdf |archive-date=8 March 2012|publisher=Warwick Law Society }}</ref>

Trimble's paternal grandfather George was born in [[Easkey]], [[County Sligo]], to parents William Trimble and Mary Burns.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/sligo-weekender/20220804/281848647363167|via=PressReader|title=PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper &amp; Magazine Subscriptions}}</ref>

==Early career==
===Academic career===
Trimble qualified as a [[barrister]] in 1969. He began that year as a Queen's University of Belfast lecturer, subsequently becoming Assistant Dean of the law faculty from 1973 to 1975, a senior lecturer in 1977 and head of Commercial and Property Law from 1981 to 1989.<ref name="tmcentertainment1"/><ref name="nobelprize1998"/><ref name="google3">{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hQsiAAAAIBAJ&pg=2634,167130&dq=david-trimble&hl=en|title=Irish leader in U.S. for talks|work=The Day|via=Google News|date=2 November 1995|access-date=31 March 2020|archive-date=16 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616173130/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hQsiAAAAIBAJ&pg=2634,167130&dq=david-trimble&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="google1685">{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lmkfAAAAIBAJ&pg=1685,1116464&dq=david-trimble&hl=en|title=New Unionist leader represents new style but old philosophy|work=Daytona Beach Sunday News|via=Google News|date=2 October 1995|access-date=31 March 2020|archive-date=16 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616160007/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lmkfAAAAIBAJ&pg=1685,1116464&dq=david-trimble&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> He resigned from the university in 1990 when he was elected to Parliament.<ref name="tmcentertainment1"/>

In 1983, as he sat in his office at the university, he heard gunshots which turned out to be those of the IRA killers of [[Edgar Graham]], a friend and fellow law lecturer.<ref name="google1685"/> He was asked to identify the body.<ref name="google1685"/> In 1994 he was told by the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] that he had been targeted for assassination.<ref name="google1685"/>

===Political career===
Trimble became involved with the right-wing, paramilitary-linked [[Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party]] (known as Vanguard) in the early 1970s. He ran unsuccessfully for the party in the [[1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election|1973 Assembly election]] for [[North Down (Assembly constituency)|North Down]], coming last.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/cnd.htm |title=North Down 1973–1982 |first=Nicholas |last=Whyte |work=Northern Ireland Elections |publisher=[[Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930185624/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/cnd.htm |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1974, he was a legal adviser to the [[Ulster Workers' Council]] during the successful [[Ulster Workers' Council strike|UWC strike]] against the [[Sunningdale Agreement]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6YMTqYuvA10C&pg=PA299 |title=The Routledge Dictionary of Modern British History |access-date=30 June 2010 |isbn=9780415192439 |last1=Plowright |first1=John |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831025353/https://books.google.com/books?id=6YMTqYuvA10C&pg=PA299 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Trimble was elected to the [[Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention]] in 1975 as a Vanguard member for [[Belfast South (UK Parliament constituency)|Belfast South]] and, for a time, served as the party's joint deputy leader, along with the [[Ulster Defence Association]]'s [[Glenn Barr]].<ref name="google2">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ny77bPwKxaUC&q=%22david+trimble%22&pg=PA323 |title=The Nobel Peace Prize and the ... |access-date=29 June 2010 |isbn=9780881353884 |last1=Abrams |first1=Irwin |year=2001 |publisher=Science History Publications/USA |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831004014/https://books.google.com/books?id=ny77bPwKxaUC&q=%22david+trimble%22&pg=PA323 |url-status=live }}</ref> The party had been established by [[William Craig (Northern Ireland politician)|Bill Craig]] to oppose sharing power with Irish Nationalists and to prevent closer ties with the Republic of Ireland; however, Trimble was one of those to back Craig when the party split over Craig's proposal to allow voluntary power sharing with the SDLP.<ref name="Telegraph obit">{{cite news|title=Lord Trimble, politician who jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in sealing the Good Friday Agreement – obituary|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2022/07/25/lord-trimble-politician-who-jointly-won-nobel-peace-prize-role/|date=25 July 2022|access-date=25 July 2022|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|archive-date=25 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725222202/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2022/07/25/lord-trimble-politician-who-jointly-won-nobel-peace-prize-role/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Trimble joined the mainstream [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP) in 1978 after Vanguard disbanded and was elected one of the four party secretaries.<ref name="warwicklawsociety2004"/><ref name="google2"/> He served as vice chairman of the [[Lagan Valley]] Unionist Association from 1983 to 1985 and was named chairman in 1985.<ref name="nobelprize1998">{{Cite web |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1998/trimble-bio.html |title=David Trimble – Biography |publisher=Nobel Foundation |access-date=29 June 2010 |archive-date=15 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215035517/http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1998/trimble-bio.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He served as chairman of the UUP Legal Committee from 1989 to 1995 and as honorary secretary of the Ulster Unionist Council in 1990–96.<ref name="nobelprize1998"/>

Trimble was elected to Parliament with 58% of the vote in a [[1990 Upper Bann by-election|by-election in Upper Bann in 1990]].<ref name="google2"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cjkdAAAAIBAJ&pg=3120,5682175&dq=david-trimble&hl=en|work=Tuscaloosa News|title=Tories trounced in N. Ireland|access-date=31 March 2020|archive-date=30 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830052021/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cjkdAAAAIBAJ&pg=3120,5682175&dq=david-trimble&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=52150|page=9691|date=25 May 1990}}</ref> He was one of the few British politicians who urged support for the government of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] during the [[War in Bosnia and Herzegovina|civil war]] in the 1990s.<ref name="Telegraph obit"/>

==Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party==
[[File:President Bill Clinton with David Trimble.jpg|thumb|Trimble with US president [[Bill Clinton]] in Belfast, 1995]]

On 8 September 1995, Trimble unexpectedly [[September 1995 Ulster Unionist Party leadership election|won election as leader of the UUP]], defeating the front-runner [[John Taylor, Baron Kilclooney|John Taylor]] and three other candidates.<ref name="google3" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/09/world/world-news-briefs-ulster-protestant-party-names-a-hard-liner.html |title=Ulster Protestant Party Names a Hard-Liner |work=The New York Times |date=9 September 1995 |access-date=29 June 2010 |archive-date=27 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327134635/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/09/world/world-news-briefs-ulster-protestant-party-names-a-hard-liner.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Trimble's election as Leader came in the aftermath of his role in the [[Drumcree conflict]], in which he led a controversial 1995 [[Orange Institution|Orange Order]] Protestant march, amidst Nationalist protest, down the predominantly [[Catholic Church in Ireland|Catholic]] [[Irish nationalism|nationalist]] Garvaghy Road in [[Portadown]], County Armagh.<ref name="google4"/><ref name="google3" /> Trimble and [[Democratic Unionist Party]] (DUP) leader [[Ian Paisley]] walked hand-in-hand as the march, banned since 1997, proceeded down the road.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1420000/video/_1424111_ireland_murray_jul95_vi.ram |title=Drumcree Parade 1995 |work=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603005337/http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1420000/video/_1424111_ireland_murray_jul95_vi.ram |archive-date=3 June 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Many [[Irish Catholics]] viewed it as insensitive, while many Protestants felt that it was a sign that Trimble was defending them.<ref name="google3" />

Shortly after the election, Trimble became the first UUP Leader in 30 years (since [[Terence O'Neill]]) to meet with the [[Taoiseach]] in Dublin.<ref name="google3"/> In 1997, he became the first unionist leader since the [[partition of Ireland]] in 1921 to agree to negotiate with [[Sinn Féin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=A4MfAAAAIBAJ&pg=6959,3294826&dq=david-trimble&hl=en |title=Key Ulster Protestant agrees to join talks with Sinn Fein |work=Tuscaloosa News |via=Google News Archive |first=James F. |last=Clarity |date=18 September 1997 |access-date=31 March 2020 |archive-date=16 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616194240/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=A4MfAAAAIBAJ&pg=6959,3294826&dq=david-trimble&hl=en |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the subsequent All-Party negotiations, Trimble led the UUP delegation and sat at the table with Sinn Féin, though in the eight months of the negotiations he never spoke directly to their leader, [[Gerry Adams]].<ref name="google4"/><ref name="nobelprize1998"/> Trimble at first opposed the appointment of former US Senator [[George J. Mitchell|George Mitchell]] as the chairman of the all-party talks, but eventually accepted him.<ref name="Telegraph obit" /> The talks were successful, culminating in the [[Good Friday Agreement]] of 10 April 1998, which resulted in power-sharing with Nationalists.<ref name="warwicklawsociety2004"/><ref name="nobelprize1998"/> Trimble was subsequently seen as instrumental in getting his party to accept the accord.<ref name="telegraph1">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1399874/Key-players.html |title=Key players |work=The Telegraph|location=London |date=25 October 2001 |access-date=30 June 2010 |archive-date=13 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113204831/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1399874/Key-players.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On 22 May 1998, [[1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement referendum|voters in Northern Ireland approved the agreement]], with 71 per cent in favour.<ref name="nobelprize1998"/>

Trimble was appointed to the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom]] in the [[1998 New Year Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=54993 |supp=y|page=1|date=30 December 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/for_christmas/_new_year/new_year_honours/43509.stm |title=Life Peers to Order of the Companion of Honour |work=BBC News |date=31 December 1997 |access-date=28 June 2010 |archive-date=30 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230064138/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/for_christmas/_new_year/new_year_honours/43509.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==First Minister of Northern Ireland==
[[File:David Trimble Washington D.C.jpg|thumb|upright|Trimble in Washington, D.C., 2001]]

Trimble [[1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election|was elected]] on 25 June 1998 as a [[Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly]] for Upper Bann.<ref name="nobelprize1998"/> He was elected [[First Minister of Northern Ireland]] on 1 July 1998.<ref name="nobelprize1998"/>

Arguments over the extent of [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] decommissioning led to repeated disruptions during Trimble's tenure as First Minister. In particular:
* The office of First Minister was suspended from 11 February 2000 to 30 May 2000. During this time, Trimble attempted to reassure party members who were sceptical of the post-Good Friday Agreement institutions, saying, "Unionists won the war... The Agreement gave unionism the opportunity to take control of Northern Ireland's constitutional future and to take a major stake in the government of our country... Does anyone really think [[Gerry Adams]] wanted this?".<ref name="Trimble_2000">{{cite news |last1=Trimble |first1=David |title=We won the war – now for the peace |work=Belfast News Letter|date=20 May 2000}}</ref>
* Trimble resigned as First Minister on 1 July 2001 due to the continuing impasse arising from the IRA's refusal of his demands that it decommission its arms, as per the commitments all parties had signed up to in section 7 pt. 3 (page 25)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nio.gov.uk/agreement.pdf |title=The Agreement |access-date=3 November 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003065655/http://www.nio.gov.uk/agreement.pdf |archive-date=3 October 2011|publisher=Northern Ireland Office }}</ref> of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/the-long-and-arduous-road-to-paramilitary-decommissioning-14345877.html |title=The long and arduous road to paramilitary decommissioning |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=19 June 2009 |access-date=29 June 2010 |archive-date=24 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624025139/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/the-long-and-arduous-road-to-paramilitary-decommissioning-14345877.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but he was re-elected on 5 November 2001<ref name="Telegraph obit"/>
* The Assembly was suspended from 14 October 2002 until 2007 due to accusations of an IRA spy ring being operated there (the so-called [[Stormontgate]] Affair), which Trimble described as ten times worse than [[Watergate]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Stormontgate: how events unfolded|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/stormontgate-how-events-unfolded-1.1287301|date=17 December 2005|access-date=25 July 2022|newspaper=The Irish Times|location=Dublin|archive-date=26 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726003148/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/stormontgate-how-events-unfolded-1.1287301|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1998, [[Tony Blair]] announced a new judicial inquiry, the [[Bloody Sunday Inquiry]], into the killing of 13 unarmed civil rights marchers in Derry in 1972. A previous investigation, the [[Widgery Tribunal]], into the same event had been discredited. During the debate in the House of Commons, Trimble was one of few dissenting voices. He said: "I am sorry to have to say to the Prime Minister that I think that the hope expressed by the Honourable Member for Foyle {{interp|[[John Hume]]}} that this will be part of the healing process is likely to be misplaced. Opening old wounds like this is likely to do more harm than good. The basic facts of the situation are known and not open to dispute."<ref name="HansardBloodySunday">{{Cite web |author=Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/cgi-bin/newhtml_hl?DB=semukparl&STEMMER=en&WORDS=trimble%20david%20bloodi%20sundai&ALL=bloody%20sunday&ANY=&PHRASE=&CATEGORIES=&SIMPLE=&SPEAKER=Trimble%20David&COLOUR=red&STYLE=s&ANCHOR=80129-07_spnew1&URL=/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo980129/debtext/80129-07.htm#80129-07_spnew1 |title=Hansard Record of Commons Debate launching the Saville Inquiry |work=Hansard |publisher=UK Parliament |date=29 January 1998 |access-date=16 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107220346/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/cgi-bin/newhtml_hl?DB=semukparl&STEMMER=en&WORDS=trimble%20david%20bloodi%20sundai&ALL=bloody%20sunday&ANY=&PHRASE=&CATEGORIES=&SIMPLE=&SPEAKER=Trimble%20David&COLOUR=red&STYLE=s&ANCHOR=80129-07_spnew1&URL=%2Fpa%2Fcm199798%2Fcmhansrd%2Fvo980129%2Fdebtext%2F80129-07.htm#80129-07_spnew1 |archive-date=7 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Reporting in 2010, the [[Saville Inquiry]] confirmed that all of the 13 killings and 13 woundings were unjustified.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/bloody-sunday-unjustified-and-unjustifiable-2001218.html|title=Bloody Sunday 'unjustified and unjustifiable'|date=15 June 2010|work=The Independent|agency=Press Association|access-date=7 December 2018|archive-date=9 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209165346/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/bloody-sunday-unjustified-and-unjustifiable-2001218.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

During a meeting with Blair in 2001, Trimble questioned the impartiality of judge [[Brian Kerr, Baron Kerr of Tonaghmore|Sir Brian Kerr]], later chief justice of Northern Ireland and a [[Law Lord]] appointed to the [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom|Supreme Court]]. This evidence and comments made about other public figures contradicts what Trimble's biographer considered a "lack of personal bigotry against Catholics".<ref>Sam McBride, 'Revealed | Trimble told PM of concern that judge hearing key case was "north Lurgan Catholic"']. ''Belfast Telegraph'', 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025</ref>

==Peerage==
[[File:Lord Trimble.jpg|thumb|upright|Trimble in 2009]]

At [[2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland|the general elections of 2005]], Trimble was defeated in Upper Bann by the DUP's [[David Simpson (Northern Ireland politician)|David Simpson]] in his bid for re-election to Parliament in Westminster.<ref name="BBC obit"/> The Ulster Unionist Party retained only one seat in Parliament (out of 18 in Northern Ireland) after the 2005 general election,<ref name="BBC obit"/> and Trimble resigned the party leadership on 7 May 2005.<ref>{{cite news|title=Trimble to announce resignation|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/may/07/election2005.uk3|date=7 May 2005|access-date=25 July 2022|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|archive-date=26 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726004936/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/may/07/election2005.uk3|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 11 April 2006, it was revealed that Trimble would take a seat in the [[House of Lords]] as a working [[life peer]].<ref>{{cite news | title = New working life peers unveiled | date = 11 April 2006 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4896620.stm | access-date = 18 April 2007 | work = BBC News | archive-date = 13 March 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070313144955/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4896620.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> On 21 May 2006 it was announced that he had chosen the geographical designation Lisnagarvey, the original name for his adopted home town of [[Lisburn]]. Subsequently, on 2 June 2006, he was created ''Baron Trimble'', ''of [[Lisnagarvey]] in the [[County Antrim|County of Antrim]]''.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=58004 |date=7 June 2006 |page=7793}}</ref> Eight months later, he confirmed that he would be standing down from the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] at the next election.<ref>{{cite news | title = Trimble set to quit assembly seat | date = 18 December 2006 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6189855.stm | access-date = 18 April 2007 | work = BBC News | archive-date = 28 January 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070128211246/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6189855.stm | url-status = live }}</ref>

Trimble announced on 17 April 2007 that he had decided to join the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] in order to have greater influence in politics in the United Kingdom.<ref name="conservatives"/> At the same time, however, he stated that he did not intend to campaign against the Ulster Unionist Party and proposed the idea of a future alliance between the Conservatives and the Ulster Unionists, similar to that which had existed prior to 1974 and the fallout of the Sunningdale Agreement. This idea became reality with the formation of the [[electoral alliance]] of [[Ulster Conservatives and Unionists]] in late 2008. It was reported that if the Conservatives won the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]], Trimble would receive a "significant" ministerial role, possibly in the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Lord Trimble lined up as minister in Cameron government | date = 24 July 2008 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/2455222/Lord-Trimble-lined-up-as-minister-in-Cameron-government.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080821102632/http://telegraph.co.uk./news/newstopics/politics/conservative/2455222/Lord-Trimble-lined-up-as-minister-in-Cameron-government.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 21 August 2008 | access-date =25 July 2008 |work=The Telegraph|location=London }}</ref> In the end, however, Trimble was not offered any governmental or [[British Government frontbench|front bench]] position following the formation of the [[Cameron–Clegg coalition|Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Who's who in the coalition cabinet|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/may/13/coalition-cabinet-list-profiles|date=13 May 2010|access-date=25 July 2022|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|archive-date=4 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304045725/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/may/13/coalition-cabinet-list-profiles|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2010, Trimble joined the [[Friends of Israel Initiative]], a non-Jewish international project supporting [[Israel's right to exist]]. The initiative, started by former prime minister of Spain [[José María Aznar]], also included former United States Ambassador to the United Nations [[John R. Bolton]], British historian [[Andrew Roberts (historian)|Andrew Roberts]] and former Peruvian president [[Alejandro Toledo]].<ref name=JP-20100531>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/jerusalem-post/mi_8048/is_20100531/aznar-trimble-launch-pro-israel/ai_n53871053/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617192500/http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/jerusalem-post/mi_8048/is_20100531/aznar-trimble-launch-pro-israel/ai_n53871053/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 June 2010 |title=Aznar, Trimble to launch new pro-Israel project. 'Friends of Israel' |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=31 May 2010 |access-date=14 June 2010 }}</ref> On 29 January 2013, Trimble and Aznar co-wrote an article in ''The Times'' condemning [[Hezbollah]] and calling on European governments to list it as a [[terrorist organisation]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/dont-mince-words-hezbollah-are-terrorists-vddzqxkpbx2|title=Don't Mince Words. Hezbollah are terrorists|author=David Trimble|author2=Jose Maria Aznar|date=29 January 2013|access-date=29 January 2013|work=[[The Times]]|archive-date=30 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130005658/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/article3671013.ece|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

In 2016, Trimble supported the [[Leave campaign|Leave side]] in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|UK referendum on EU membership]]. He said that if he had ever had any doubts about the issue, "his eight years on the EU Select Committees in the House of Lords – which scrutinise the EU's operations – had convinced him of the need to cut ties with Brussels". He cited a study which found that economic growth in the UK reduced after the decision to enter the Common Market and reduced further when the UK went into the Single Market.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/northern-ireland-news/eu-isn-t-working-on-economic-grounds-trimble-1-7297563|title=EU isn't working on economic grounds: Trimble|work=The Newsletter|publisher=Johnston Publishing|author=Sam McBride|date=26 March 2016|access-date=7 June 2016|archive-date=29 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329003413/http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/northern-ireland-news/eu-isn-t-working-on-economic-grounds-trimble-1-7297563|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Turkel Commission of Inquiry===
[[File:Gaza flotilla raid map.svg|thumb|right|upright=0.95|Routes of [[Ships of Gaza flotilla raid|Gaza-bound flotilla]] (green) and [[Israeli Navy]] (orange)]]
{{details|Legal assessments of the Gaza flotilla raid}}
On 14 June 2010, Trimble was appointed an observer to the Israeli special independent public [[Turkel Commission|Turkel Commission of Inquiry]] into the [[Gaza flotilla raid]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Zrahiya |first=Zvi |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israeli-members-of-flotilla-inquiry-panel-meet-for-first-time-1.296644 |title=Israeli members of flotilla inquiry panel meet for first time |newspaper=Haaretz |date=17 June 2010 |access-date=17 June 2010 |archive-date=7 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807171825/https://www.haaretz.com/1.5135248 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="autogeneratedil"/>

The Commission investigated whether Israel's actions in preventing the arrival of ships in Gaza were in accordance with [[international law]].<ref name="autogeneratedil"/> It focused among other things on the security considerations for imposing a [[naval blockade]] on the [[Gaza Strip]] and the conformity of the naval blockade with the rules of international law; the conformity of the actions during the raid to principles of international law; and the actions taken by those who organised and participated in the flotilla, and their identities.<ref name="autogeneratedil">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2010/Cabinet_to_approve_independent_public_commission_13-Jun-2010.htm |title=Cabinet asked to approve independent public commission |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |date=13 June 2010 |access-date=17 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100622080542/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2010/Cabinet_to_approve_independent_public_commission_13-Jun-2010.htm |archive-date=22 June 2010 }}</ref>

On the commission were former [[Israeli Supreme Court]] Justice, [[Jacob Turkel]], and former [[Technion University]] President, [[Amos Horev]], as well two other members added in July 2010. ([[Bar Ilan University]] Professor of International Law [[Shabtai Rosenne]] also served on the commission from its establishment until his death on 21 September 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/turkel-committee-member-shabtai-rosenne-dies-at-93-1.315062|title=Turkel Committee Member Shabtai Rosenne Dies at 93|first1=Barak|last1=Ravid|first2=Amir|last2=Oren|date=22 September 2010|work=Haaretz|publisher=Haaretz Daily Newspaper|access-date=5 October 2010|archive-date=7 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007164233/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/turkel-committee-member-shabtai-rosenne-dies-at-93-1.315062|url-status=live}}</ref>) In addition, the commission had two foreign observers, Trimble and former head of the Canadian military's judiciary, [[Judge Advocate General (Canada)|Judge Advocate General]], [[Ken Watkin]], who took part in hearings and discussions, but did not vote on the final conclusions.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10309872|title=Gaza flotilla inquiry panel members|date=14 June 2010|work=BBC News|access-date=21 July 2018|archive-date=19 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819131519/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10309872|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/who-s-who-on-israel-s-committee-on-the-gaza-flotilla-raid-1.296102|title=Who's Who on Israel's Committee on the Gaza Flotilla Raid|date=14 June 2010|work=Haaretz|publisher=Haaretz Daily Newspaper|access-date=22 June 2010|archive-date=17 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017115759/http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/who-s-who-on-israel-s-committee-on-the-gaza-flotilla-raid-1.296102|url-status=live}}</ref> The panel, in January 2011, concluded both Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and the interception of the flotilla "were found to be legally pursuant to the rules of international law".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0124/1224288164716.html | newspaper=The Irish Times | first=Mark | last=Weiss | title=Israeli inquiry clears soldiers over Gaza flotilla raid | date=24 January 2011 | access-date=24 January 2011 | archive-date=27 January 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127053544/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0124/1224288164716.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Trimble married his first wife, Heather McComb, in 1968. They did not have children, having had a [[stillbirth]] of twin sons.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2022/07/25/david-trimble-a-man-whose-willingness-to-change-course-helped-pave-the-way-for-peace/ | title=David Trimble obituary: A man whose willingness to change course helped pave the way for peace | newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] | access-date=2 August 2022 | archive-date=27 July 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727233023/https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2022/07/25/david-trimble-a-man-whose-willingness-to-change-course-helped-pave-the-way-for-peace/ | url-status=live }}</ref> In 1976 the couple divorced. Two years later he married a former student of his, Daphne Elizabeth (née Orr).<ref name="NYT obit">{{cite news|title=David Trimble, Peace Prize Winner in Ulster Strife, Dies at 77|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/25/world/europe/david-trimble-dead.html|first=Alan|last=Cowell|date=25 July 2022|access-date=25 July 2022|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archive-date=25 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725204005/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/25/world/europe/david-trimble-dead.html|url-status=live}}</ref> They had two sons and two daughters (Richard, Victoria, Nicholas and Sarah).<ref name="NYT obit"/><ref name="google1"/> Richard Trimble is a maths teacher and head of the sixth form at Graveney School in Tooting, South West London. [[Daphne Trimble|Lady Trimble]] served as a member of the [[Equality Commission for Northern Ireland]] and later the [[Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission]],<ref name="Times obit">{{cite news|title=Good Friday agreement architect David Trimble dies aged 77|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/david-trimble-obituary-dmbgsbtcj|first1=Nadeem|last1=Badshah|first2=Steven|last2=Swinford|date=25 July 2022|access-date=25 July 2022|newspaper=[[The Times]]|location=London|archive-date=26 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726000215/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/good-friday-agreement-architect-david-trimble-dies-aged-77-dmbgsbtcj|url-status=live}}</ref> before standing unsuccessfully in the [[2010 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland|UK parliamentary election]] of May 2010 for the [[Conservatives and Unionists]].<ref name="BBC obit">{{cite news|title=Obituary: David Trimble, Northern Ireland's first first minister|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-25825573|date=25 July 2022|access-date=25 July 2022|work=BBC News|archive-date=25 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725184401/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-25825573|url-status=live}}</ref>

His son Nicholas was active within the Ulster Unionist Party and serving on the [[Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council]] at the time of his father's death.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cllr Hon. Nicholas Trimble|url=https://www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/council/elected-members/Nicholas-Trimble|access-date=25 July 2022|publisher=Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council|archive-date=26 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726000218/https://www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/council/elected-members/Nicholas-Trimble|url-status=live}}</ref> Nicholas Trimble was co-opted in 2016 to replace Alexander Redpath as a Councillor representing Downshire West on Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.<ref>{{cite news|title=Constituency Notebook: Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council|url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/localelection2019/2019/04/29/news/constitunency-notebook-lisburn-and-castlereagh-city-council-1607650/|first=Simon|last=Doyle|date=29 April 2019|access-date=25 July 2022|newspaper=[[The Irish News]]|location=Belfast|archive-date=26 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726000217/https://www.irishnews.com/news/localelection2019/2019/04/29/news/constitunency-notebook-lisburn-and-castlereagh-city-council-1607650/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Trimble admitted in July 2019 that he was "forced" to change his position on [[same-sex marriage]] and partnerships after voting against them, because of his lesbian daughter Vicky, who married her girlfriend Rosalind Stephens in [[Same-sex marriage in Scotland|Scotland]] in 2017. He told peers in the House of Lords "I cannot change that, and I cannot now go around saying that I am opposed to it because I acquiesced to it. There we are."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/trimble-reveals-daughter-is-in-a-same-sex-marriage-38301501.html|title=Trimble reveals daughter is in a same-sex marriage|last1=Lester |first1=Nick |last2=Bell |first2=Jonathan|newspaper=Belfast Telegraph|date=11 July 2019|archive-date=13 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513165138/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/trimble-reveals-daughter-is-in-a-same-sex-marriage-38301501.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/daughter-of-former-northern-ireland-first-minister-trimble-reveals-his-happiness-with-same-sex-marriage-38310956.html|title=Daughter of former Northern Ireland first minister Trimble reveals his happiness with same-sex marriage|author=<!--not stated-->|newspaper=Belfast Telegraph|date = 14 July 2019|archive-date=16 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616204618/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/daughter-of-former-northern-ireland-first-minister-trimble-reveals-his-happiness-with-same-sex-marriage-38310956.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-49010807/it-was-accept-our-relationship-or-lose-a-daughter|title=It was accept our relationship or lose a daughter|work=BBC News Northern Ireland|date=16 July 2019|archive-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721013037/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-49010807/it-was-accept-our-relationship-or-lose-a-daughter|url-status=live}}</ref> His nephew Andrew played professional rugby for Ireland.

Trimble died on 25 July 2022 after a brief illness. He was 77 years old.<ref name="Times obit"/><ref name="BBC obit"/>

==Honours==

[[File:1933 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Norman Angell.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Nobel Peace Prize]]]]
In October 1998, Trimble and John Hume were awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.<ref name="autogenerated1998">{{Cite web |url=http://www.boes.org/coop/lmines/nobel98.html |title=Nobel Peace Prize 1998, John Hume and David Trimble |publisher=Boes.org |access-date=30 June 2010 |archive-date=15 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015091723/http://boes.org/coop/lmines/nobel98.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Nobel Institute]] noted: <blockquote>As the leader of the traditionally predominant party in Northern Ireland, David Trimble showed great political courage when, at a critical stage of the process, he advocated solutions which led to the [Belfast (Good Friday)] peace agreement.<ref name="autogenerated1998"/></blockquote>

At a ceremony in Paris on 8 December 1999, Trimble was appointed an Officier in the [[Légion d'Honneur]] by the French Government.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/french-elevate-trimble-to-living-elite-with-the-legion-dhonneur-739941.html |title=French elevate Trimble to 'living elite' with the Legion d'honneur |date=9 December 1999 |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |location=London |access-date=24 March 2020 |archive-date=10 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810173533/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/french-elevate-trimble-to-living-elite-with-the-legion-dhonneur-739941.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2002, Trimble was awarded the [[Golden Plate Award]] of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement| url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#public-service| website=achievement.org| access-date=20 April 2020| archive-date=15 December 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215023909/https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#public-service| url-status=live}}</ref>

==Selected works==
===Books===
* {{cite book |url=http://www.davidtrimble.org/publications_toraiseup.htm |title=To Raise Up a New Northern Ireland: Articles and Speeches 1998–2000 |first=David |last=Trimble |publisher=The Belfast Press |date=2001 |isbn=978-0953928712|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725045832/http://www.davidtrimble.org/publications_toraiseup.htm |archive-date=25 July 2011 }}
* {{cite book |first= W D |last=Trimble |title=The foundation of Northern Ireland |oclc=26273413 |isbn=9781872076102 |pages=43 |location=Lurgan, County Armagh |publisher=Ulster Society Publications |year=1991 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/26273413 }}

===Articles===
* {{cite journal |url=http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/frdint22&div=43&id=&page= |title=The Belfast Agreement |first=David |last=Trimble |journal=[[ Fordham International Law Journal]] |volume=22 |page=1145 |date=1998–99}}

==See also==
* [[List of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Lords]]
* [[List of Northern Ireland members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Godson, Dean (2004). ''Himself Alone: David Trimble and the Ordeal of Unionism''. HarperCollins, {{ISBN|0-00-257098-X}}
* Kerr, Michael (2005). ''Transforming Unionism: David Trimble and the 2005 Election''. Irish Academic Press, {{ISBN|0-7165-3389-8}}
* MacDonald, Henry (2001). ''Trimble''. Bloomsbury Publishing, {{ISBN|0-7475-5315-7}}
* Millar, Frank (2004). ''David Trimble: The Price of Peace''. Liffey Press, {{ISBN|1-904148-60-3}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160207043926/http://davidtrimble.org/ David Trimble's official website]
{{UK Peer links | parliament = lords/lord-trimble/658 | hansard = mr-david-trimble | hansardcurr = 5067 | publicwhip = Trimble | theywork = 10605/lord_trimble | bbc = 33638.stm | journalisted = david-trimble }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100218125134/http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/members/biogs/dtrimble.htm David Trimble bio] Northern Ireland Assembly (Archived)
* [https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/?pid=10605 Lord Trimble]
* {{Nobelprize}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/northern_ireland/understanding/profiles/david_trimble.stm The Search for Peace: David Trimble] BBC News
* [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm198990/cmhansrd/1990-05-23/Debate-7.html Maiden Speech : House of Commons – 23 May 1990] UK Parliament
* [https://achievement.org/achiever/david-trimble/#interview David Trimble Biography and Interview] with [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]]
*{{C-SPAN|41703}}

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{{s-ttl|title=[[Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)|Member of the Legislative Assembly]] for [[Upper Bann (Assembly constituency)|Upper Bann]]|years=[[1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election|1998]]–[[2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2007]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title=Deputy Leader of the [[Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party]]|alongside=[[Glenn Barr]]|years=1975–1978}}
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{{Nobel Peace Prize Laureates 1976-2000}}
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