Max Nordau Julius (9 March 1916 – 27 February 1963) was an Australian barrister and communist. Born in

South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 7,196 people. Geography The suburb is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded to the north-west ...

to Hungarian tailor Julius Isack (known as Isack Julius) and his

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

n-born wife Ernestina, ''née'' Lang, he was raised a non-orthodox Jew and attended Leichhardt Street State School, winning a scholarship to

Brisbane Grammar School , motto_translation = Nothing Without Labour , established = 1868 , type = Independent, day & boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Non-denominational , slogan = , key_people = , ...

in 1929. He attended the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = ...

from 1934, gaining a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1938 and a

Bachelor of Law Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 1940. He was secretary of the Radical Club from 1937 to 1938 and edited the Student Union's paper, ''Semper Floreat'', in 1938. He joined the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been ...

in 1936. Julius was involved in socialist theatrical productions in the 1930s and he co-founded the Eureka Youth League in 1940 with Connie Healy. In 1941 his application to join the Queensland Bar was blocked due to his communism; he took the matter to court with

Fred Paterson Frederick Woolnough Paterson (13 June 1897 – 7 October 1977) was an Australian politician, activist, unionist and lawyer. He is the only representative of the Communist Party of Australia to be elected to an Australian parliament. Early hist ...

as his counsel. The judge found in his favour and he was admitted to the bar on 29 June. He was nevertheless shunned by much of the legal community but stayed solvent by charging a token fee. He married Kate Doreen Gillham on 22 October 1943 at Brisbane (they divorced in 1962). In 1948 Julius was sentenced to three months' gaol for not paying fines resulting from his involvement in the

St Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost pat ...

march, but he was released after two weeks when widespread sympathy led an anonymous donor (rumoured to be the

Hanlon Hanlon is a surname often associated with, but not necessarily tied to, the O'Hanlon Sept. The name may denote: * Alf Hanlon (1866–1944), New Zealand lawyer * Darren Hanlon, Australian folk musician * George Hanlon, Australian horse trainer ...

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

government) to pay his fine. He was a frequent candidate for elections, and it was his preferences that decided the seat of

Moreton Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a ps ...

in the 1961 federal election in favour of the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

James Killen Sir Denis James "Jim" Killen, (23 November 1925 – 12 January 2007) was an Australian politician and a Liberal Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from December 1955 to August 1983, representing the Division of Moreton in Q ...

, allowing

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

to retain government. Julius was involved in the legal case regarding Menzies' attempted dissolution of the Communist Party in 1950–51, and in 1954–55 he cross-examined the Petrovs at the royal commission on espionage. He was also a supporter of the peace movement and Aboriginal rights. On 16 February 1960, under financial difficulties, he had himself removed from the roll of barristers and became a solicitor. Julius died at Princess Alexandra Hospital in South Brisbane on 27 February 1963 of

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ...

and was cremated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Julius, Max 1916 births 1963 deaths Australian Jews Australian barristers Australian people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Australian people of Romanian-Jewish descent University of Queensland alumni Lawyers from Brisbane Communist Party of Australia members People educated at Brisbane Grammar School