Lord Trimble jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize along with SDLP leader John Hume
Former Northern Ireland first minister David Trimble has died, the Ulster Unionist Party has announced. In a statement on behalf of the Trimble family, the UUP said: "It is with great sadness that the family of Lord Trimble announce that he passed away peacefully earlier today following a short illness."
He initially became involved in the unionist offshoot organisation Vanguard in the early 1970s and while he was best known for his involvement with the Belfast Agreement, in his younger days he had opposed an earlier attempt, the Sunningdale Agreement. He went on to join the then dominant Ulster Unionist Party in 1978.
A few months later, Lord Trimble unexpectedly won the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party over the favourite Lord Kilclooney, starting his often turbulent time at the helm of the party. The process faltered several times but perhaps most notably when then Ulster Unionist Jeffrey Donaldson walked out of the talks. However, on April 10, 1998, the agreement was signed, and endorsed following a referendum held the following month.
Lord Trimble lost his Westminster seat in Upper Bann at the 2005 election to DUP candidate David Simpson. He resigned as leader of the party whose once dominant Westminster representation had been reduced to just one seat.
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