Max Julius
Encyclopedia
Max Nordau Julius was an Australian barrister and communist.
Born in South Brisbane to Hungarian
tailor Julius Isack (known as Isack Julius) and his Romania
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
in 1929. He attended the University of Queensland
from 1934, gaining a Bachelor of Arts
in 1938 and a Bachelor of Law 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
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
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 march, but he was released after two weeks when widespread sympathy led to an anonymous donor (rumoured to be the Hanlon Labor
government) paid his fine. He was a frequent candidate for elections, and it was his preferences that decided the seat of Moreton
in the 1961 federal election
in favour of the Liberal
James Killen
, allowing Robert Menzies
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
and was cremated.
Born in South Brisbane to Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
tailor Julius Isack (known as Isack Julius) and his Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
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
Brisbane Grammar School
Brisbane Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for boys, located in Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
in 1929. He attended the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
from 1934, gaining a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1938 and a Bachelor of Law 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
Communist Party of Australia
The Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted...
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
Fred Paterson
Frederick Woolnough Paterson was an Australian politician, activist, unionist and lawyer. He was the only member of a Communist Party ever to be elected to a parliament anywhere in the Commonwealth of Australia....
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 march, but he was released after two weeks when widespread sympathy led to an anonymous donor (rumoured to be the Hanlon Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
government) paid his fine. He was a frequent candidate for elections, and it was his preferences that decided the seat of Moreton
Division of Moreton
The Division of Moreton is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named after Moreton Bay. The electorate is a bellwether in elections, having voted for the party winning government at every...
in the 1961 federal election
Australian federal election, 1961
Federal elections were held in Australia on 9 December 1961. All 122 seats in the House of Representatives, and 31 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election...
in favour of the Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
James Killen
James Killen
Sir Denis James "Jim" Killen, AC, KCMG , was an Australian politician.-Education and early career:Killen was born in Dalby, Queensland and educated at Brisbane Grammar School and the University of Queensland, where he graduated in law...
, allowing Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
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
Petrov Affair
The Petrov Affair was a dramatic Cold War spy incident in Australia in April 1954, concerning Vladimir Petrov, Third Secretary of the Soviet embassy in Canberra.- History :...
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
Princess Alexandra Hospital
The Princess Alexandra Hospital , is located on Ipswich Road in Woolloongabba, Australia. It is one of the major hospitals in Brisbane and is a teaching hospital of the University of Queensland. It is a tertiary level teaching hospital with all major medical and surgical specialities onsite except...
in South Brisbane on 27 February 1963 of myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and was cremated.